The chemical constituents extractable from teak tree (Tectona Grandis Linn ) obtained from Fountain University, Osogbo

A branch of Teak tree was cut, dried and grounded with mortar  and pestle before using blender. The powder was extracted with  four different solvents namely n-hexane, benzene, chloroform and distilled water; the extracts were concentrated using rotary  evaporator. Gas chromatography- mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used to identify various constituents in the samples. Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was the major constituent common to Chloroform (35.50 %) and benzene (26.78 %) while  n-hexadecanoic acid was the major constituent extracted by n-hexane (21.76 %) and water (24.16 %). Other phthalic acid derivatives extracted by both chloroform and benzene are Phthalic acid, di(2-propylpentyl)ester and di(oct-3-yl)ester. All the extracts were screened for termites repellence; all of them except water extract repelled termites in various degrees.Keywords: Bis (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, n-hexadecanoic acid, rotary evaporator, termites

Heavy metal contamination of groundwater resources in a Nigerian urban settlement

The aim of the study was to create awareness on the effect of dumpsite on groundwater in developing countries, especially Nigeria. In order to achieve this, water samples were obtained from 20 randomly selected hand dug wells and boreholes in the area, in February and August, 2006. 10 leachates samples were also obtained from the dumpsite. From these samples, pH and conductivity were determined using a pH/conductivity meter (Jenway model), while the concentrations of the heavy metals (Co, Fe, Pb and Cu) were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The trend of dispersion of each variable was demonstrated on Landsat ETM+ (2006) imagery using Erdas Imagine and ArcView GIS software. The study showed that the groundwater in the study area were generally alkaline (8.3 ±2.77) and contained Cu (0.02 ± 0.04 mg/l), Fe (4.23 ± 6.4 mg/l), Pb (2.4 ± 3.3 mg/l) and Co (1.03 ± 1.1 mg/l) concentrations that are higher than the permissible limits recommended by the World Health Organization (0.5, 0.1, 0.01 and 0.0002 mg/l, respectively; p > 0.05). The study concluded that the groundwater sources within 2 km radius of a major landfill will be vulnerable to the effect of landfill, if they are not adequately protected

Knowledge and Practice of PersonalHygiene and Factors affecting it among PregnantWomen attendingAntenatalClinic in aTeachingHospital inLagos State,Nigeria

Background: Pregnancy can be seen as a period of considerable changes involving many processes in a woman’s body systems. During this state, without proper understanding and practice of hygiene during pregnancy, the pregnant woman may face some risks which may be detrimental to her health and to the health of her unborn child. Aim: This study assessed the knowledge and practice of personal hygiene and factors influencing it among pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi- Araba, Lagos, Nigeria. Methods and Materials: The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design. Selfstructured questionnaires were used to elicit information from the respondents. One hundred and eighty-two (182) respondents formed the sample size. Variables were tested using Chi-square at p<0.05. Results: Most of the respondents had good overall knowledge (98.3%) and good overall practice (87.5%) of personal hygiene. Lack of regular sources of clean water (82.4%), a distance of the house to the sources of water supply (72.1%) and inability to carry out home cleaning due to the weight of the pregnancy (54.6%) were the factors identified as influencing the practice of personal hygiene. There was a statistically significant relationship between the knowledge and practice of personal hygiene among the respondents (p = 0.004, X2= 8.187). Conclusion: The knowledge and practice of personal hygiene were good, however; the healthcare providers should give adequate health education on personal hygiene during ANC. Also, supports should be provided to resolve identified factors affecting personal hygiene practice during pregnancy. Keywords: Antenatal clinic, Knowledge, Practice, Personal hygiene, pregnant women

Embedding planning support systems in spatial planning practice:the role of drift in implementing the Spatial Development Framework methodology

Planning Support Systems (PSS) research has explored ways to improve PSS use and embeddedness. However, there is little knowledge of how unplanned changes during implementation impact outcomes. This paper answers the question, ‘How can drift influence PSS implementation and use?’ It applies the concept of drift (changes in new technology, user behaviour, and/or existing practice during ICT implementation) to explain how PSS users (GIS specialists, planners) initiate unplanned changes during implementation and use. Following a qualitative approach, we investigate a PSS implementation case study in Rwanda – the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) methodology – to establish the role of drift in PSS use and embeddedness. Our study reveals that a) user understanding and perception of PSS can initiate drift during implementation and use, and b) drift can influence outcomes of PSS use or embeddedness. This study confirms the role of drift in PSS use and embeddedness in Rwanda’s spatial planning process

Effects of supplemental measles immunization on cases of measles admitted at the Wesley guild hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria

Background: Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable infection which continues to be a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries particularly those with poor routine immunisation coverage. Supplemental immunisation activities (SIAs) were thus introduced to improve vaccine coverage. Objective: This study was carried out to assess the impact of the supplemental measles vaccinations on the cases of measles admitted at a tertiary health facility in South west Nigeria. Methods: Weretrospectivelylooked at therecords of cases of measles in children admitted to the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa over a ten year period (2001 - 2010); five years before and five years after the nationwide commencement of supplemental measles immunisation activities (SIAs) in the region in 2006. Measles cases were defined using the WHO case definition. Results: Over the ten year study period, a total of 12,139 children were admitted andmanaged; out of which 302 (2.5%) were cases of complicated measles. There was no difference in the mean (SD) of children admitted in the years before and after the introduction of the SIAs {6040 (122.7) vs.6099 (120.2); t-test 0.02, p =0.988.} There was however a remarkable reduction in the proportion of the cases of measles admitted after the introduction of SIAs compared to the period before SIAs (4.3% vs. 0.6% x2=169.580; p < 0.001) Conclusion:SIAs have remarkably reduced morbidity and mortality associated with measles in the region. We advocate for sustenance of these efforts as well as improvement in routine immunisation coverage to avoid a backlash which can lead to devastating measles outbreak.Keywords: Measles, Supplemental immunisation, MorbidityAfrican Health sciences Vol 14 No. 1 March 201

Prevalence, density and predictors of malaria parasitaemia among ill young Nigerian infants

Introduction: infants in the first six months of life are relatively protected from malaria. Emerging reports from endemic regions however are showing increasing malaria susceptibility in this age group. This study set out to determine the prevalence, parasite density and predictive factors for malaria parasitaemia in ill young infants at the Wesley Guild Hospital (WGH), Ilesa, Nigeria. Methods: ill infants aged one to six months were consecutively recruited over an 11-month period in a hospital based cross-sectional study. History of illness, sociodemographic and perinatal history were obtained; clinical examination and results of venous blood for thick and thin film malaria parasite examinations were recorded and analyzed. Results: the mean (SD) age of the 350 infants was 3.4 (1.6) months with male:female (M:F) of 1.2:1. The prevalence of malaria parasitaemia (all plasmodium falciparum) was 19.1% while parasite density ranged from 24.0 to 400,000 parasites/µl, median (IQR) 900 (250-4,588)/µl. Sixteen (4.6%) had heavy malaria parasitaemia (>5000/µl). Low social class (OR=2.457; 95%CI 1.404-4.300; p=0.002), suboptimal antenatal care (OR=2.226; 95%CI 1.096-4.522; p=0.027), low birth weight infants (OR=4.818; 95%CI 2.317-10.018; p=<0.001) and injudicious use of haematinics (OR=3.192; 95%CI1.731-5.886; p=<0.001) were predictors of malaria parasitaemia among the infants. Conclusion: one-in-five ill young infants had malaria parasitaemia with heavy parasitaemia in 23.8% of infected infants. Malaria parasitaemia was associated with modifiable factors, high index of suspicion in endemic region and optimal maternal and child care services may assist to reduce the burden of malaria in this age group

Entrepreneurial Capability and Entrepreneurial Success of Small and Medium Enterprises: A Review of Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

The incidence of business failure especially in the small and medium enterprises sector is on the increase. This calls for more empirical research to investigate entrepreneurial factors to address business failure. Since the person behind the successful performance is the entrepreneur himself, his capabilities express in terms of entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial competencies become the most important factors to investigate to ensure business successful in a constantly changing or dynamic business environment. This paper provides a review of conceptual and theoretical frameworks on entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial competencies for empirical research on entrepreneurial success factors. Keywords: Entrepreneurial success, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial competencies, small and medium enterprises

Chemistry Entrepreneurship for Small and Medium Enterprises Development: A Panacea for Job and Wealth Creation

Chemistry is everything and everywhere, as a result chemistry offers wide varieties of business opportunities for small and medium enterprises development than any other discipline. Professional chemists including students of chemistry, with little training on entrepreneurial skills could begin to commercialize their innovations to reap enormous financial benefits; become job creators and contribute positively to the national economic development most especially through the small and medium enterprises.  Chemistry entrepreneurship, a subset of academic entrepreneurship; it involves the process of converting innovations in Chemistry into marketable products for commercial gain. It enables Chemists to take their work beyond publications in academic journals by patenting and commercializing them for economic gains. This paper calls for curriculum re-engineering to fully integrate entrepreneurship into Chemistry curriculum at degree level as well as to encourage researchers to make commercialization a part of their research agenda from the stage of project conceptualization. Keywords: Chemistry, Chemistry entrepreneurship, Business opportunities, innovations, commercialization, small and medium enterprises

On Entrepreneurial Success of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): A Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

Researchers have not clearly agreed on definition and measures for entrepreneurial success. This paper attempts to define entrepreneurial success from the perspective of the SMEs and propose both financial and non-financial measures for measuring entrepreneurial success. Relevant literature was reviewed to provide conceptual and theoretical framework for empirical studies on entrepreneurial success factors and success dimensions or indicators for better understanding of entrepreneurial success Keywords: Entrepreneurial Success, Entrepreneurial Success factors, Entrepreneurial Success Indicators, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Presentation and outcomes of early and late onset neonatal sepsis in a Nigerian Hospital

Background: Neonatal Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates despite great advances in antimicrobial therapy and life support measures.Objectives: To compare the aetiology, risk factors, presentation and outcomes of care between early onset neonatal sepsis (EOS) and late onset neonatal sepsis (LOS).Methods: Bacterial isolates were identified using blood cultures and antibiotic susceptibility testing was done using disc diffusion method. The risk factors, clinical presentation, laboratory findings and neonatal outcomes of the babies with EOS were compared with LOS. Statistical significance was set at P <0.05.Results: Neonatal Sepsis was responsible for 16% of Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) admissions. Of the 72 babies with sepsis, 56 (77.8%) had EOS as against 16 (22.2%) who had late-onset sepsis. Low birth weight (p=0.01) and perinatal asphyxia (p=0.01) were significantly associated with EOS while for LOS, delivery outside the health facility (p=0.01) was the only significant risk factor. Respiratory distress was more significantly observed in EOS (p = 0.01). Neonatal deaths occurred in 32% of babies with EOS while all babies with culture positive LOS survived.Conclusion: Early onset neonatal sepsis is associated with high likelihood of neonatal mortality. Unsupervised delivery, birth asphyxia and low birth weight are risk factors associated with neonatal sepsis. Efforts to ensure supervised hospital delivery and improvement in neonatal resuscitation may reduce the incidence of neonatal sepsis and its attendant complications.Keywords: Onset neonatal , Nigerian Hospital