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INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS PLAGIARISM BY STUDENTS OF THREE THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Attitude towards plagiarism of students of theological institutions is considered important as they are expected to be upholders of moral and spiritual values. However, some studies reveal that students of theological institutions have a positive attitude towards plagiarism. This could be a function of their level of information literacy skills. Thus, the main objective of this study is to examine the influence of information literacy skills on the attitude towards plagiarism by students in three theological institutions in South-west, Nigeria. The descriptive survey research design of the correlational type was adopted for this study. The population consisted of 1472 undergraduate and postgraduate students in three theological institutions in South-west, Nigeria. The two-stage random sampling technique was used to arrive at the sample size of 355. Data was collected with the aid of questionnaire. Results showed that the level of information literacy skills of the respondents is also high (overall mean=85.97). Majority of the respondents =1.41) and =1.48) also disagreed that it is acceptable to copy word for word from a book or journal without acknowledgement, and that is acceptable to copy from the Internet without citing the source. Also, exactly four-fifths of the respondents =1.87) agreed that plagiarism is against their ethical values. This depicts a negative attitude towards plagiarism. There is a significant negative relationship between literacy skills and the attitude towards plagiarism by the students (r = -.156**; df = 299; p\u3c 0.05). Part of the recommendations was that the high level of information literacy skills can be strengthened if librarians in collaboration with lecturers continually organise workshops and lectures to build the capacity of the students of theological institutions in information literacy

Information Overload and Students’ Attitude Towards Plagiarism in Three Theological Institutions in South-West Nigeria

Purpose: This paper examines the relationship between information overload and students’ attitude towards plagiarism in three theological institutions in South-west, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a descriptive survey research design with a correlational approach, targeting undergraduate and postgraduate students in three theological institutions in the South-west region of Nigeria due to easy accessibility and convenience for data collection at the time of the study. A sample size of 355 participants was arrived at by adopting a two-stage random sampling technique. Data collection involved the use of a questionnaire, and the analysis involved simple descriptive measures such as mean, frequency counts, percentages and standard deviation for the research questions and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) for the hypothesis. Findings: Results showed that the respondents experienced a high level of information overload. In addition, most respondents disagreed that copying the contents of a book or journal word for word is acceptable, depicting a negative attitude towards plagiarism. Originality: The study provides original data on the relationship between information overload and students’ attitude towards plagiarism in three theological institutions in South-west, Nigeria

Effects of Gmelina arborea Powdered Parts on Mortality of Dinoderus porcellus in Yam Chips

The study aims at evaluating the efficacy of different doses of powdered stem and leaf parts of Gmelina arborea on Dinoderus porcellus infesting yam chips in Jos metropolis. The experiment was conducted at the Entomology Laboratory of the Federal College of Forestry, Jos. Samples of infested yam chips and Gmelina arborea were collected in Jos metropolis. Newly emerged adult Dinoderus porcellus were exposed to the yam chips which were mixed with different levels of Gmelina arborea parts powder (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g). The setup was monitored for 120 hours and mortality recorded. The study was carried out in a randomized complete design with treatments replicated thrice. Data was analysed using analysis of variance at 1 and 5 percent confidence level and Duncan test was used to separate the means. The results obtained reveal significant differences at p value=0.05 and 0.01. The results reveal that in all the doses, an increase in the amount of the powder resulted in increased incidence of D. porcellus mortality. After 120 hours of exposure, 100 % mortality was recorded from either 15 or 20 g stem bark + leaf powder treatment. From the results obtained, the use of 15 g stem bark+leaf powder of Gmelina arborea could be effective in yam chips preservation which could in turn strengthen food security. Keywords: Yam chips; Dioscorea spp; Stem bark; Botanical; Leaf powde

Analiza infecțiilor, recuperărilor și a deceselor cauzare de COVID-19 în lunca rîurilor din Nigeria

Introduction. The objective of the current study is to determine statistical difference in means of COVID-19 infected population, discharged cases and deaths resulting from COVID-19 pandemic and to estimate number of people that can survive it in Rivers State, Nigeria.Material and methods. In this study, extraction of infected population, discharged cases and deaths from COVID-19 was carried out from data obtained from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control which covered a period of 572 days. The test for significance of means among the variables was done using one-way Analysis of Variance followed by Tukey HSD test. The two variables whose means do not significantly differ were tested for strength of relationship and dependence using correlation analysis and cubic polynomial function respectively. Results. Results showed that there is statistically significant difference between infected population, discharged cases and deaths from COVID-19 as obtained from one-way ANOVA (F(2, 1710)=121.958, p=0.000). Use of Tukey HSD test indicated that means of infected population and discharged cases do not differ from each other (p>0.01); however, mean deaths from COVID-19 significantly differ from others at 99% confidence intervals (p0,01). Cu toate acestea, decesele medii cauzate de COVID-19 diferă semnificativ de altele la intervale de încredere de 99% (p<0,01). A existat o relație pozitivă redusă între decesele cauzate de COVID-19 și alte două grupuri (r=0,360, n=571, p=0,000). Prin urmare, a existat o corelație pozitivă moderată între populația infectată cu COVID-19 și populația externată (r=0,566, n=571, p=0,000) la un interval de încredere de 99%. Concluzii. Media deceselor din populația de studiu a fost semnificativ diferită de media atât de la populația infectată, cât și de la cazurile externate. Aceasta implică faptul că doar puțini oameni au murit din cauza COVID-19 în lunca râurilor din Nigeria, în comparație cu cei care s-au infectat și s-au recuperat după pandemia de COVID-19

Large Outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup C - Nigeria, December 2016-June 2017.

On February 16, 2017, the Ministry of Health in Zamfara State, in northwestern Nigeria, notified the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of an increased number of suspected cerebrospinal meningitis (meningitis) cases reported from four local government areas (LGAs). Meningitis cases were subsequently also reported from Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, and Sokoto states, all of which share borders with Zamfara State, and from Yobe State in northeastern Nigeria. On April 3, 2017, NCDC activated an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate rapid development and implementation of a national meningitis emergency outbreak response plan. After the outbreak was reported, surveillance activities for meningitis cases were enhanced, including retrospective searches for previously unreported cases, implementation of intensified new case finding, and strengthened laboratory confirmation. A total of 14,518 suspected meningitis cases were reported for the period December 13, 2016-June 15, 2017. Among 1,339 cases with laboratory testing, 433 (32%) were positive for bacterial pathogens, including 358 (82.7%) confirmed cases of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C. In response, approximately 2.1 million persons aged 2-29 years were vaccinated with meningococcal serogroup C-containing vaccines in Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara states during April-May 2017. The outbreak was declared over on June 15, 2017, after high-quality surveillance yielded no evidence of outbreak-linked cases for 2 consecutive weeks. Routine high-quality surveillance, including a strong laboratory system to test specimens from persons with suspected meningitis, is critical to rapidly detect and confirm future outbreaks and inform decisions regarding response vaccination

COVID-19 mortality rate and its associated factors during the first and second waves in Nigeria

COVID-19 mortality rate has not been formally assessed in Nigeria. Thus, we aimed to address this gap and identify associated mortality risk factors during the first and second waves in Nigeria. This was a retrospective analysis of national surveillance data from all 37 States in Nigeria between February 27, 2020, and April 3, 2021. The outcome variable was mortality amongst persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction. Incidence rates of COVID-19 mortality was calculated by dividing the number of deaths by total person-time (in days) contributed by the entire study population and presented per 100,000 person-days with 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI). Adjusted negative binomial regression was used to identify factors associated with COVID-19 mortality. Findings are presented as adjusted Incidence Rate Ratios (aIRR) with 95% CI. The first wave included 65,790 COVID-19 patients, of whom 994 (1∙51%) died; the second wave included 91,089 patients, of whom 513 (0∙56%) died. The incidence rate of COVID-19 mortality was higher in the first wave [54∙25 (95% CI: 50∙98–57∙73)] than in the second wave [19∙19 (17∙60–20∙93)]. Factors independently associated with increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in both waves were: age ≥45 years, male gender [first wave aIRR 1∙65 (1∙35–2∙02) and second wave 1∙52 (1∙11–2∙06)], being symptomatic [aIRR 3∙17 (2∙59–3∙89) and 3∙04 (2∙20–4∙21)], and being hospitalised [aIRR 4∙19 (3∙26–5∙39) and 7∙84 (4∙90–12∙54)]. Relative to South-West, residency in the South-South and North-West was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in both waves. In conclusion, the rate of COVID-19 mortality in Nigeria was higher in the first wave than in the second wave, suggesting an improvement in public health response and clinical care in the second wave. However, this needs to be interpreted with caution given the inherent limitations of the country’s surveillance system during the study

Epidemiology, diagnostics and factors associated with mortality during a cholera epidemic in Nigeria, October 2020-October 2021: a retrospective analysis of national surveillance data.

OBJECTIVES: Nigeria reported an upsurge in cholera cases in October 2020, which then transitioned into a large, disseminated epidemic for most of 2021. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology, diagnostic performance of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits and the factors associated with mortality during the epidemic. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of national surveillance data. SETTING: 33 of 37 states (including the Federal Capital Territory) in Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Persons who met cholera case definition (a person of any age with acute watery diarrhoea, with or without vomiting) between October 2020 and October 2021 within the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control surveillance data. OUTCOME MEASURES: Attack rate (AR; per 100 000 persons), case fatality rate (CFR; %) and accuracy of RDT performance compared with culture using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Additionally, individual factors associated with cholera deaths and hospitalisation were presented as adjusted OR with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Overall, 93 598 cholera cases and 3298 deaths (CFR: 3.5%) were reported across 33 of 37 states in Nigeria within the study period. The proportions of cholera cases were higher in men aged 5-14 years and women aged 25-44 years. The overall AR was 46.5 per 100 000 persons. The North-West region recorded the highest AR with 102 per 100 000. Older age, male gender, residency in the North-Central region and severe dehydration significantly increased the odds of cholera deaths. The cholera RDT had excellent diagnostic accuracy (AUROC=0.91; 95% CI 0.87 to 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Cholera remains a serious public health threat in Nigeria with a high mortality rate. Thus, we recommend making RDT kits more widely accessible for improved surveillance and prompt case management across the country

CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 attenuates microglial proliferation and neurodegeneration in P301S mice

Neuroinflammation and microglial activation are significant processes in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Recent genome-wide association studies have highlighted multiple immune-related genes in association with Alzheimer’s disease, and experimental data have demonstrated microglial proliferation as a significant component of the neuropathology. In this study, we tested the efficacy of the selective CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 (JNJ-527) in the P301S mouse tauopathy model. We first demonstrated the anti-proliferative effects of JNJ-527 on microglia in the ME7 prion model, and its impact on the inflammatory profile, and provided potential CNS biomarkers for clinical investigation with the compound, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics and efficacy assessment by TSPO autoradiography and CSF proteomics. Then, we showed for the first time that blockade of microglial proliferation and modification of microglial phenotype leads to an attenuation of tau-induced neurodegeneration and results in functional improvement in P301S mice. Overall, this work strongly supports the potential for inhibition of CSF1R as a target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases

Inflammatory biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease plasma

Introduction:Plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis/stratification are a“Holy Grail” of AD research and intensively sought; however, there are no well-established plasmamarkers.Methods:A hypothesis-led plasma biomarker search was conducted in the context of internationalmulticenter studies. The discovery phase measured 53 inflammatory proteins in elderly control (CTL;259), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 199), and AD (262) subjects from AddNeuroMed.Results:Ten analytes showed significant intergroup differences. Logistic regression identified five(FB, FH, sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that, age/APOε4 adjusted, optimally differentiated AD andCTL (AUC: 0.79), and three (sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that optimally differentiated AD and MCI(AUC: 0.74). These models replicated in an independent cohort (EMIF; AUC 0.81 and 0.67). Twoanalytes (FB, FH) plus age predicted MCI progression to AD (AUC: 0.71).Discussion:Plasma markers of inflammation and complement dysregulation support diagnosis andoutcome prediction in AD and MCI. Further replication is needed before clinical translatio