An Assessment of the Relationship between Road Network Connectivity and Tourists’ Patronage in Lokoja Metropolis, Kogi State

The study assessed the Relationship between Road Network Connectivity and Tourists’ Patronage in Lokoja Metropolis. Gamma index was adopted to measure road network connectivity level. The result revealed that the level of road network connectivity in Lokoja metropolis is just 40% which is an indication of a low level of road network connectivity among the Tourists’ attractions and Hotels in the area. The result from road network accessibility using the Shimbel index also revealed that Kogi Hotels Ltd. With lowest Shimbel index of 24 is the most accessible and the most patronized accommodation facility with an average monthly patronage of 45 among all hotels and tourists’ attractions considered for this work. The relationship between road network accessibility and the level of tourists’ patronage was measured using Pearson Moment Correlation and a result of 7% level of relationship was obtained which is considered to be too low for a strong relationship. This means that there is no significant relationship between the level of road network accessibility and tourists’ patronage in the study area, suggesting that the level of road network connectivity and accessibility could not completely explain the level of tourists’ patronage in the area. It is therefore recommended that further study should be conducted to determine other factors that account for the level of tourists’ patronage in the area. Keywords: Road Network Connectivity, Hotels, Tourist Attractions, Patronage and Relationship

A Response Surface Approach for Determining Optimal Mix Parameters for Normal Strength Concrete

The study evaluates the influence of water/ cement ratios and aggregates contents on the engineering properties of normal weight concrete. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using historical design was adopted to design and develop predictive models and perform the optimization of concrete prepared with cement, fine aggregate (FA), coarse aggregate (CA) contents at different water/ cement ratio f0Q /C) by volume. Concrete mixes were prepared using fixed content of ordinary Portland cement and the different mixtures. The density and compressive strength of hardened concrete specimens were determined at the curing 28 days. The response surface analysis showed that W / C and aggregate contents have significant effects on density and compressive strength of concrete. The regression model yielded good correlations with the experimental data. The optimized density and 28-day compressive strength values of 2522.973 kg/m3 and 29.977 N/mm2 were achieved for the concrete mix containing 1.5-part ofF A, 3-part of CA and 0.60 W /C, respectively. The optimal concrete mix parameters determined using RSM provides the basis for selecting appropriate safe concrete component ratios

Circulating Autoantibodies Recognizing Immunodominant Epitopes From Human Apolipoprotein B Associate With Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, but Not With Atherosclerotic Disease

Rationale: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of large arteries that involves an autoimmune response with autoreactive T cells and auto-antibodies recognizing Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), the core protein of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Here, we aimed to establish a clinical association between circulating human ApoB auto-antibodies with atherosclerosis and its clinical risk factors using a novel assay to detect auto-antibodies against a pool of highly immunogenic ApoB-peptides. Methods and Results: To detect polyclonal IgM- and IgG-antibodies recognizing ApoB, we developed a chemiluminescent sandwich ELISA with 30 ApoB peptides selected by an in silico assay for a high binding affinity to MHC-II, which cover more than 80% of known MHC-II variants in a Caucasian population. This pre-selection of immunogenic self-peptides accounted for the high variability of human MHC-II, which is fundamental to allow T cell dependent generation of IgG antibodies. We quantified levels of ApoB-autoantibodies in a clinical cohort of 307 patients that underwent coronary angiography. Plasma anti-ApoB IgG and IgM concentrations showed no differences across healthy individuals (n = 67), patients with coronary artery disease (n = 179), and patients with an acute coronary syndrome (n = 61). However, plasma levels of anti-ApoB IgG, which are considered pro-inflammatory, were significantly increased in patients with obesity (p = 0.044) and arterial hypertension (p < 0.0001). In addition, patients diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome showed significantly elevated Anti-ApoB IgG (p = 0.002). Even when normalized for total plasma IgG, anti-ApoB IgG remained highly upregulated in hypertensive patients (p < 0.0001). We observed no association with triglycerides, total cholesterol, VLDL, or LDL plasma levels. However, total and normalized anti-ApoB IgG levels negatively correlated with HDL. In contrast, total and normalized anti-ApoB IgM, that have been suggested as anti-inflammatory, were significantly lower in diabetic patients (p = 0.012) and in patients with the metabolic syndrome (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Using a novel ELISA method to detect auto-antibodies against ApoB in humans, we show that anti-ApoB IgG associate with cardiovascular risk factors but not with the clinical appearance of atherosclerosis, suggesting that humoral immune responses against ApoB are shaped by cardiovascular risk factors but not disease status itself. This novel tool will be helpful to develop immune-based risk stratification for clinical atherosclerosis in the future.Fil: Marchini, Timoteo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; Argentina. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Malchow, Sara. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Caceres, Lourdes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad Medicina. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; Argentina. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: El Rabih, Abed Al Hadi. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Hansen, Sophie. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Mwinyella, Timothy. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Spiga, Lisa. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Piepenburg, Sven. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Horstmann, Hauke. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Olawale, Tijani. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Li, Xiaowei. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Mitre, Lucia Sol. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Gissler, Mark Colin. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Bugger, Heiko. University of Graz; AustriaFil: Zirlik, Andreas. University of Graz; AustriaFil: Heidt, Timo. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Hilgendorf, Ingo. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Stachon, Peter. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: von zur Muehlen, Constantin. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Bode, Christoph. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Wolf, Dennis. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; Alemani

Carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer nanocomposites for sustainable biomedical applications: A review

The search for viable alternatives to conventional materials in biomedical applications is as important as the movement for the adoption of a sustainability approach in the production of polymer nanocomposites for prosthetic purposes. Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polymer nanocomposites have become the center of the present prosthetic industry due to their unparalleled strength-to-weight characteristics. However, the categories of polymers used for this purpose and their long-term impact on the environment have generated controversies among researchers. The adequacy, affordability, and sustainability of materials for the development of prosthetics are some of the common concerns. Consequently, this review addresses concerns about the adherence to SDGs in biomedical manufacturing which focuses on material selection considering environmental impacts. In addition, contributions from previous research were reviewed based on the remarkable increase in the number of publications on CNT-reinforced polymer nanocomposites over the last 10 years. Various findings by researchers in the field who used natural rubber and other polymers as host matrices were analyzed from the perspective of sustainability. While considerable progress has been made in the use of other polymers in the biomedical field, only a few publications have targeted natural rubber. This review provides insights into opportunities for sustainable production and consumption of devices with biodegradable CNT/natural rubber nanocomposites