MEDICINAL PLANTS USEFUL FOR MALARIA THERAPY IN OKEIGBO

There is increasing resistance of malaria parasites to chloroquine, the cheapest and commonly used drug for malaria in Nigeria. Artemisin, a product from medicinal plant indigenous to China, based on active principle of Artemisia annua, has been introduced into the Nigerian market. However not much has been done to project antimalaria properties of indigenous medicinal plants. This study thus, has the main objective of presenting medicinal plants used for malaria therapy in Okeigbo, Ondo State, South west Nigeria. Focus group discussions and interview were held about plants often found useful for malaria therapy in the community. Fifty species (local names) including for example: Morinda lucida (Oruwo), Enantia chlorantha (Awopa), Alstonia boonei (Ahun), Azadirachta indica (Dongoyaro) and Khaya grandifoliola (Oganwo) plants were found to be in use for malaria therapy at Okeigbo, Southwest, Nigeria . The parts of plants used could either be the barks, roots, leaves or whole plants. The recipes also, could be a combination of various species of plants or plant parts. This study highlights potential sources for the development of new antimalarial drugs from indigenous medicinal plants found in Okeigbo, Nigeria

Theoretical Determination of Temperature Field in Orthogonal Machining

In this work, mathematical models were developed to simulate the thermal behaviour of a cutting tool insert in three-dimensional dry machining. Models to determine the temperature rise at the shear plane and tool insert in orthogonal cutting were developed, simulated and validated. The effects of various machining parameters/variables such as specific heat of material of 4400J/kg, Depth of cut (t) of 0.0003m, Density of 7870kg/m3, Width of cut (b) of 0.005m, Chip thickness ratio (rt) of 0.42, Tool rake angle of 100, Cutting Velocity (V) of 35m/min and Shear force (Fs) of 1257.6N on temperature rise were well analyzed

Urban Forestry and Its Impact on the Health of Residents of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State

In every environment, the presence or lack of urban forests impacts the built environment. Urban forestry, a branch of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI), refers to an urban framework in which individual trees and tree populations in urban settlements are cared for and also managed to promote the health and well-being of the occupants of the urban settlements. Urban forestry strongly posits that trees are an integral part of the urban setting. The urban forest is an urban green infrastructure system that largely contributes to multiple service sectors and functions in urban environments. Although the environmental advantages of urban forests have been realised, the essentiality of urban forests in learning environments and educational communities alike, few have been largely neglected in existing research. Therefore, this research paper aims to investigate the impact of urban forests on the mental health of residents of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria. Data for this research was collected through the use of structured questionnaires and field observation. The data collected was analysed through the use of the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results obtained from the analysis of collected data explicitly highlights the effects of urban forests in learning environments and their positive impact, on the mental health and overall wellbeing of the residents of the university community. This research endeavour recommended that more urban forests should be planned and put in place within built up environments to improve the stability of the eco-system and the overall wellbeing of the residents of that urban environment

A Survey of User’s Perception of Urban Parks in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State

Urban green spaces in cities have been attributed to both an ecologically sustainable environment and the well-being of urban residents, thereby improving their quality of life. The positive effects of urban green spaces on individuals, on the other hand, is usually dependent on the extent of these green spaces and their uses. The level of satisfaction with existing urban parks can be assessed based on parameters such as accessibility, safety, and relevant available facilities. The aim of this study is to examine user’s perception of urban parks in ibeju-lekki, Lagos state. The key objective of the study is to determine the design strategies implemented in the design of an urban park; access users’ perception based on the determined design strategies implemented in the selected urban parks. In this research, users of selected urban parks within ibeju-lekki were surveyed to properly investigate their perception of these urban parks in respect to already established survey criteria. Data was gathered through questionnaires, and users were randomly selected across the selected urban parks. The data gathered was analyzed using SPSS and content analysis, and the analyzed data was presented using tables and charts. From the study, it was found that users’ perception of urban parks usually affects their continual use, this is referring to the urban resident rate of patronage of the urban parks. Therefore, to improve resident rate of usage of urban parks, it is important to improve on the design strategies adopted in urban parks

Carbon Emissions and the Business Cycle in Nigeria

Investigating the behaviour of carbon dioxide emissions to different macroeconomic variables has become critical in the recent years in environmental policy. In fact, a number of studies have continued to analyse different possible determinants of carbon emissions. However, very little attention has been given to relating Real Business Cycles (RBCs) to carbon emissions in Nigeria. Thus, the main objectives of the study are; first, to document some stylised facts between the cyclical components of carbon emissions and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) including also the relationship with two major components of GDP that have been credited to be a major sources of emissions (agricultural sector and the industrial sector) through the use of the Hodrick-Prescott filter. Secondly, to investigate the response of emissions to real shocks using the Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) approach. The study is able to find out that emissions are countercyclical to output, however, a pro-cyclical relationship is established with the agricultural and industrial sector. Real business cycle shocks are seen to have a positive effect on carbon emissions in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommends the implementation of environmental policies targeted towards the agricultural and industrial sector given the pro-cyclical relationship obtained from the analysis. Keywords: Carbon emissions, Environmental policy, Business cycles JEL Classifications: Q56, Q58, E3

Structure-based design of functionalized 2-substituted and 1,2- disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives and their in vitro antibacterial efficacy

The aim of this present study was to synthesize 2-substituted and 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives to investigate their antibacterial diversity for possible future drug design. The structurebased design of precursors 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)aniline 1, 2-(3,5-dinitro phenyl)-1Hbenzimidazole 3 and 2-benzyl-1H-benzimidazole 5 were achieved by the condensation reaction of ophenylenediamine with anthranilic acid, 3,5-dinitrophenylbenzoic acid, and phenylacetic acid, respectively. The precursors 1, 3 and 5, upon reaction with six different electrophile-releasing agents, furnished the corresponding 2-substituted benzimidazole, 2a-f and 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazole derivatives 4a-f and 6a-f, respectively. The structural identity of the targeted compounds was authenticated by elemental analytical data and spectral information from FT-IR, UV, 1H, and 13C NMR. The outcome of the findings from the in vitro screening unveiled 2-benzyl-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-1H-benzimidazole 6b as the most active derivative with lowest MIC value of 15.63 mg/m

Carbon Emissions and the Business Cycle in Nigeria

Investigating the behaviour of carbon dioxide emissions to different macroeconomic variables has become critical in the recent years in environmental policy. In fact, a number of studies have continued to analyse different possible determinants of carbon emissions. However, very little attention has been given to relating real business cycles (RBCs) to carbon emissions in Nigeria. Thus, the main objectives of the study are; first, to document some stylised facts between the cyclical components of carbon emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) including also the relationship with two major components of GDP that have been credited to be a major sources of emissions (agricultural sector and the industrial sector) through the use of the Hodrick-Prescott filter. Secondly, to investigate the response of emissions to real shocks using the structural vector autoregressive approach. The study is able to find out that emissions are countercyclical to output, however, a pro-cyclical relationship is established with the agricultural and industrial sector. RBC shocks are seen to have a positive effect on carbon emissions in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommends the implementation of environmental policies targeted towards the agricultural and industrial sector given the pro-cyclical relationship obtained from the analysis

Towards the conversion of carbohydrate biomass feedstocks to biofuels via hydroxylmethylfurfural

This review appraises the chemical conversion processes recently reported for the production of hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF), a key biorefining intermediate, from carbohydrate biomass feedstocks. Catalytic sites or groups required for the efficient and selective conversion of hexose substrates to HMF are examined. The principle of concerted catalysis was used to rationalise the dehydration of fructose and glucose to HMF in non-aqueous media. A survey of reported reaction routes to diesel-range biofuel intermediates from HMF or furfural is presented and self-condensation reaction routes for linking two or more HMF and furfural units together toward obtaining kerosene and diesel-range biofuel intermediates are highlighted. The reaction routes include: benzoin condensation, condensation of furfuryl alcohols, hetero Diels–Alder reaction and ketonisation reaction. These reaction routes are yet to be exploited despite their potential for obtaining kerosene and diesel-range biofuel intermediates exclusively from furfural or hydroxylmethylfurfural

The global diet and activity research (GDAR) network: a global public health partnership to address upstream NCD risk factors in urban low and middle-income contexts.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. While upstream approaches to tackle NCD risk factors of poor quality diets and physical inactivity have been trialled in high income countries (HICs), there is little evidence from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) that bear a disproportionate NCD burden. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean are therefore the focus regions for a novel global health partnership to address upstream determinants of NCDs. PARTNERSHIP: The Global Diet and Activity research Network (GDAR Network) was formed in July 2017 with funding from the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Health Research Units and Groups Programme. We describe the GDAR Network as a case example and a potential model for research generation and capacity strengthening for others committed to addressing the upstream determinants of NCDs in LMICs. We highlight the dual equity targets of research generation and capacity strengthening in the description of the four work packages. The work packages focus on learning from the past through identifying evidence and policy gaps and priorities, understanding the present through adolescent lived experiences of healthy eating and physical activity, and co-designing future interventions with non-academic stakeholders. CONCLUSION: We present five lessons learned to date from the GDAR Network activities that can benefit other global health research partnerships. We close with a summary of the GDAR Network contribution to cultivating sustainable capacity strengthening and cutting-edge policy-relevant research as a beacon to exemplify the need for such collaborative groups

Implications of COVID-19 control measures for diet and physical activity, and lessons for addressing other pandemics facing rapidly urbanising countries.

At the time of writing, it is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic will play out in rapidly urbanising regions of the world. In these regions, the realities of large overcrowded informal settlements, a high burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases, as well as malnutrition and precarity of livelihoods, have raised added concerns about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in these contexts. COVID-19 infection control measures have been shown to have some effects in slowing down the progress of the pandemic, effectively buying time to prepare the healthcare system. However, there has been less of a focus on the indirect impacts of these measures on health behaviours and the consequent health risks, particularly in the most vulnerable. In this current debate piece, focusing on two of the four risk factors that contribute to >80% of the NCD burden, we consider the possible ways that the restrictions put in place to control the pandemic, have the potential to impact on dietary and physical activity behaviours and their determinants. By considering mitigation responses implemented by governments in several LMIC cities, we identify key lessons that highlight the potential of economic, political, food and built environment sectors, mobilised during the pandemic, to retain health as a priority beyond the context of pandemic response. Such whole-of society approaches are feasible and necessary to support equitable healthy eating and active living required to address other epidemics and to lower the baseline need for healthcare in the long term