Assessment of Three Varieties of Morus indica L. on the Growth and Performance of a Bivoltine Breed of Bombyx mori L. in Nigeria

The effect of three varieties of Mulberry leaves (Morus indica L.: K2, S-36 and EFG) on growth and performance of a bivoltine breed of Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) was evaluated in a Tropical rainforest belt of South-West Nigeria. At the end of the fifth instar, S-36 variety of Mulberry leaves significantly  increased the larvae mean weight to 1.28g when compared with K2  (1.07grams) and EFG (0.93grams) (P<0.5). Though the three varieties did not show any significant difference (P<0.05) in terms of  weight of wet cocoons ( K2 -1.83g, S-36 -1.95g and EFG -1.80g) , however S-36 significantly  increased the filament length of cocoon spun by Bombyx mori when compared with others ( S-36 produced mean length of  824m, K2, 594m and EFG, 432m).The results revealed that the nutritive value of Mulberry leaves varied from each other. Except for the adult Bombyx mori all other results presented a significantly higher performance of the S-36 variety above K2 and EFG variety (P<0.05). The result showed that S-36 significantly supported the growth and productivity of Bombyx mori than K2 and EFG leaves. Keywords: Mulberry leaves, Bombyx mori, Instar, Cocoon

Investigating the machining of tungsten (W) using finite element analysis

Tungsten is extensively used as a plasma facing material in fusion energy reactors. A finite element model was created to simulate the machining of tungsten for the first time by estimating the cutting forces and observing the impact of the variation in tool rake angle. The model was validated through machining experiments involving a specially designed single flute fly cutter which indicated errors of 6% – 34%, depending on the rake angle. This investigation is the first step in understanding the impact of cutting parameters on machining of tungsten. However, the model is affected by the unpredictable impact of tungsten’s deformation behaviour and especially the effects of its brittle nature and low fracture toughness

Willingness of Family Caregivers to Consent to Relative’s Postmortem Examination that Die Suddenly in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

BACKGROUND: Postmortem examination is necessary to diagnose the cause of sudden death, and family caregivers are expected to consent to this examination. This study assessed knowledge, attitude, practices and willingness of family caregivers to consent to postmortem examination of their relative if they die suddenly in a Nigerian tertiary hospital.METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study of family caregivers of our patients that completed an interviewer administered semistructured questionnaire assessing their knowledge, attitude, practices and willingness to consent to postmortem examination of their relative if they die suddenly. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.RESULTS: A total of 224 caregivers were interviewed. The mean age (SD) was 34.95 (11.74), ranging 22-75 years. They were parents (32.6%), siblings (37.9%), spouses (11.2%) and other relatives (18.3%). Only 17% had adequate knowledge, 44.6% positive attitude and 11.2% good practices to postmortem examination of sudden death. The majority (75.9%) would consent to postmortem examination of their relatives if they die suddenly. Sociodemographic variables associated with willingness to consent to postmortem examination after relative’s sudden death include being male (AOR 3.61; 95%CI 3.09-8.92; p=0.001), having tertiary education (AOR 4.83; 95%CI 1.01-8.29; p=0.034), Christianity (AOR 2.59; 95%CI 1.25-5.35; p=0.010) and skilled worker (AOR 1.43; 95%CI 1.33-3.80; p=0.020).CONCLUSION: Some family caregivers would not consent to postmortem examination of their relatives when they die suddenly. Sensitization programs targeting family caregivers are necessary to increase knowledge and enhance prevention of sudden death as well as improve willingness to consent to postmortem examination when their relatives die suddenly

Allele Diversity, Haplotype Frequency and Diversity, and Forensic Genotyping of Fulanis and Yorubas Population in North Central Region of Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous African nation, comprising over 250 ethnic groups. The Yoruba and Fulani are the second and fourth largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, respectively. Forensic genotyping of short tandem repeats (STRs) is used in computation of Combined DNA Index System databases of individuals and ethnic groups. We examined allele diversity, haplotype frequency, haplotype diversity, and forensic genotyping data of autosomal STRs in Fulani and Yoruba residents in Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, in-order to further provide forensic genotyping data of these ethnic groups. Samples of 25 Fulani males and 23 Yoruba males whose ethnicity was confirmed by three generations (paternal and maternal) were collected with informed consent using purposive sampling. All individuals in the samples were unrelated. The samples were amplified and then genotyped using the SureID® 21G PCR Amplification Kit containing Amelogenin and 20 autosomal STR loci. Statistical analyses of forensic genotyping parameters confirmed no deviation from expectation of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and no dependence of alleles between loci. All tested loci were polymorphic. Expected Heterozygosity and gene diversity parameters showed lower genetic diversity amongst Fulanis compared to Yorubas. This is possibly due to the prevalent custom of marriage between cousins amongst Fulanis, which is forbidden in Yoruba customs

Tobacco use among a population of women attending cervical cancer screening programs in primary health care clinics in South Africa : a cross-sectional study

TABLES :TABLE 1: characteristics of women (N=749) attending pap smears at primary health care clinics in Gauteng Province, South Africa (September 2018-September 2019). TABLE 2: tobacco use characteristics of women (N=749) attending pap smears in primary health care clinics in Gauteng Province, South Africa (September 2018-September 2019). TABLE 3: factors associated with ever tobacco use among women attending pap smears at primary health care facilities in Gauteng Province (September 2018-September 2019). TABLE 4: factors associated with current tobacco use among women attending pap smears at primary health care facilities in Gauteng Province (September 2018-September 2019).INTRODUCTION : we determined the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with tobacco use among women presenting for cervical cancer screening in primary health care clinics in Gauteng province, South Africa. METHODS : this study utilized data from an ongoing cross-sectional study commenced in September 2018, in which 749 participants had responded to an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire on socio-demographics, HIV status, tobacco use, family planning methods, sexual and cervical cancer screening behaviours. Data were entered into the web-based research electronic data capture (REDCap). We performed descriptive data analysis and included multivariate logistic regression. We considered a p-value < 0.05 statistically significant. RESULTS : participants´ median age was 38 years (interquartile range: 31-38) with 43.9% (328) reporting being HIV-positive. The prevalence of ever and current tobacco use were 24.3% (182/749) and 17.1% (128/749) respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, participants who self-identified as racial ethnicity other than Black African and those who were HIV positive and not on antiretroviral treatment, had increased odds of reporting current tobacco use ((adjusted odds ratio (AOR)= 5.6, 95% CI: 3.2-9.8) and (AOR= 8.2, 95% CI: 2.0-34.1) respectively). CONCLUSION : current tobacco use is common among women attending cervical cancer screening programs in primary health care clinics in Gauteng Province. Furthermore, study findings suggest the need to integrate tobacco cessation treatments into women´s health and HIV treatment programs.Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care Project FHP 000 and National Research Foundation.http://www.panafrican-med-journal.comam2023Family Medicin

Advanced Processing and Machining of Tungsten and Its Alloys

Tungsten is a refractory metal with the highest melting temperature and density of all metals in this group. These properties, together with the high thermal conductivity and strength, make tungsten the ideal material for high-temperature structural use in fusion energy and other applications. It is widely agreed that the manufacture of components with complex geometries is crucial for scaling and optimizing power plant designs. However, there are challenges associated with the large-scale processing and manufacturing of parts made from tungsten and its alloys which limit the production of these complex geometries. These challenges stem from the high ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT), as well as the strength and hardness of these parts. Processing methods, such as powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing, can generate near-net-shaped components. However, subtractive post-processing techniques are required to complement these methods. This paper provides an in-depth exploration and discussion of different processing and manufacturing methods for tungsten and identifies the challenges and gaps associated with each approach. It includes conventional and unconventional machining processes, as well as research on improving the ductility of tungsten using various methods, such as alloying, thermomechanical treatment, and grain structure refinement

Participation in decision-making process, incentives and training as predictors of organizational commitment among industrial workers

This study investigates the relationships among participation in decision-making process, incentives, training and organizational commitment among some industrial workers. Measures on participation in decision-making, incentives, training and organizational commitment were employed to collect data from the workers in private and public organizations. Multiple regression was used to analyse the data collected. Results indicated that the three motivational factors jointly and significantly predicted organizational commitment. Also, each of the factors made significant contribution to the prediction with participation in decision making taking the lead followed by incentives and training coming last. Based on the findings, it was recommended that organizational managements should give adequate attention to the motivational factors so that the workers could improve their organizational commitment.Keywords: participation, decision-making, incentives, training, organizational commitmentAfrican Journal for Psychological Study of Social Issues Vol. 8(2) 2005: 210-22

Investigating the machining of tungsten (W) using finite element analysis

Tungsten is extensively used as a plasma facing material in fusion energy reactors. A finite element model was created to simulate the machining of tungsten for the first time by estimating the cutting forces and observing the impact of the variation in tool rake angle. The model was validated through machining experiments involving a specially designed single flute fly cutter which indicated errors of 6% – 34%, depending on the rake angle. This investigation is the first step in understanding the impact of cutting parameters on machining of tungsten. However, the model is affected by the unpredictable impact of tungsten’s deformation behaviour and especially the effects of its brittle nature and low fracture toughness