Evaluation of Procurement Methods for Sustainable Environmental Development in Nigeria

Sustainable environmental development connote or entails meeting the economic needs of people without destroying the resources that will be needed by persons in the future based on long range planning and the recognition of the finite nature of natural resources. However, the dart of uncompleted and abandoned projects that littered the environment calls to mind the procurement method employed to deliver such projects. This paper seeks to appraise the contributory effects of procurement methods on abandoned projects. The population considered was developmental projects that have been developed to construction stage. This was stratified on the basis of project facility types. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaire on procurement methods employed, factors that influence the choice of the procurement methods and the effects of selected procurement methods on project delivery. Data collected was analyzed using mean-score item, Chi-square and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient. The results revealed among other things that projects were procured on traditional method of design-bid-construct which is not proactive in meeting project objectives. The paper concludes that there is need to adopt proactive modern procurement techniques that could match client’s objectives with project delivery. Keywords: Abandoned Projects, Environmental Development, Procurement Methods, Sustainable

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ITS EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN SELECTED DELTA STATE BROADCAST STATIONS

Main Objective: This study examined the effect of transformational leadership on the employee psychological well-being in selected Delta State broadcasting stations. Background Problems: Managers and governments across the globe are concerned about employee psychological health. Organizations in Nigeria have paid little attention to their employees' psychological well-being, and the majority of top executives in the broadcasting industry are unaware of the impact that transformational leadership has on the workforce's psychological well-being. The goal of this research is to investigate transformational leadership and its effect on employee psychological well-being in selected sample of Delta State broadcasting stations. Novelty: Transformational leadership is an effective type of leadership that encourages workers to perform better by increasing their levels of competence and self-reinforcement. Research Methods: The cross-sectional research design approach was used in this study. The participants in this study included 173 management and non-management employees from the Nigerian Television Authority in Asaba (47) and the Delta State Broadcasting Services in Asaba (69) and Warri (57) respectively. Using the SPSS software version 23.0, data was analyzed using linear regression. Findings/Results: According to the findings, transformational leadership had a significant and positive effect on employee psychological well-being. Conclusion: Transformational leaders work toward a common goal with followers, often self-sacrificing, prioritize employees, and develop them

Bioactive SiO2-K2O-CaO-P2O5 glass-ceramic scaffold prepared using polyurethane foam template

Abstract A glass-ceramic in the SiO2-K2O-CaO-P2O5 quaternary system was prepared by substituting the Na2O component with K2O to avoid Na2Ca2Si3O9 formation upon thermal treatment since this phase decreases apatite formation kinetics on glass material. To form the glass-ceramic, a modified sol-gel method involving solution precipitation, followed by reagents encapsulation in citric acid was adopted to enable the use of sodium metasilicate as a cheap substitute for traditional alkoxysilane silica precursors. The foam replication method using polyurethane foam as a sacrificial template was used to obtain the scaffold, which on analysis gave a porosity of 92% and an average pore size of 36±6 mm. In vitro bioactivity evaluation in simulated body fluid for a maximum of 14 days indicated the formation of hydroxyapatite on the sample surface. Phase analysis showed that CaSiO3 and K2CaSiO4 crystals formed in the sintered sample as the main phases, which exhibited biodegradability in simulated body fluid (SBF). Therefore, economically-derived porous bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds based on the current method (a simple process) are feasible

Development of exosome-encapsulated paclitaxel to overcome MDR in cancer cells

AbstractExosomes have recently come into focus as "natural nanoparticles" for use as drug delivery vehicles. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of an exosome-based drug delivery platform for a potent chemotherapeutic agent, paclitaxel (PTX), to treat MDR cancer. Herein, we developed different methods of loading exosomes released by macrophages with PTX (exoPTX), and characterized their size, stability, drug release, and in vitro antitumor efficacy. Reformation of the exosomal membrane upon sonication resulted in high loading efficiency and sustained drug release. Importantly, incorporation of PTX into exosomes increased cytotoxicity more than 50 times in drug resistant MDCKMDR1 (Pgp+) cells. Next, our studies demonstrated a nearly complete co-localization of airway-delivered exosomes with cancer cells in a model of murine Lewis lung carcinoma pulmonary metastases, and a potent anticancer effect in this mouse model. We conclude that exoPTX holds significant potential for the delivery of various chemotherapeutics to treat drug resistant cancers.From the Clinical EditorExosomes are membrane-derived natural vesicles of ~40 - 200 nm size. They have been under extensive research as novel drug delivery vehicles. In this article, the authors developed exosome-based system to carry formulation of PTX and showed efficacy in the treatment of multi-drug resistant cancer cells. This novel system may be further developed to carry other chemotherapeutic agents in the future

Leucocytes, urea and glucose levels in Albino Wistar rats exposed to doses of isolated Achatina achatina snail lectin

There are five (5) types of mature White blood cells (WBC) or Leucocytes found in the peripheral blood viz, Neutrophils (NEU), Eosinophils (EOS) and Basophils (BAS) (granulocytes); Monocytes (MON) and Lymphocytes (LYM) (agranulocytes). Urea is an organic chemical compound, and is essentially the waste produced by the body after metabolizing protein. Urea levels can be used to detect diseases and disorders that affect the kidneys. A common disease related to irregular management of glucose is diabetes. Lectins are proteins that recognize specifically and bind reversibly the carbohydrate-containing molecules of foreign cells and that elicit diverse physiological responses in various organisms. A total of 120 samples of Nigeria Achatina achatina snail specie were collected, authenticated at the Zoology Department of University of Nigeria, Nsukka and 80mls of pooled crude Lectin extract was obtained. Purifications were performed on 20mls of the crude extract in three steps viz, Ammonium sulphate precipitation and Dialysis (Partial purifications), Con A Sepharose 4B affinity Chromatography column (Complete purification). The affinity purified Lectin was used for all the tests conducted in this research. The crude, partially and complete/affinity purified Lectin extracts were subjected to Haemagglutination tests. The Lectin was further assessed to determine its effects on Leucocytes, Urea and Glucose as follows: A total of Thirty-five (35) male Albino Wistar Rats weighing 101-180g and aged 2-3 months obtained from the Animal house of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, were used in this research. The animals were Grouped into 5 (A-E) and allowed for 2 weeks acclimatization. Graded doses of 0.04ml, 0.05ml and 0.06ml of the Affinity purified Lectin were injected intra-peritoneally into each of the Rats in Groups A-D (test groups) according to their body weights at intervals of 2 days for 1 week. Group E served as the control. Two (2) mls of blood was collected from each of the Rats before and 24 hours after the last day of Lectin Doses injections for the following tests: WBC-Total and Differential counts (using Sysmex Corporation, 1999 automated equipment), Urea and Glucose estimations (performed by means of Urease-Berthelot and GOD-PAP Randox Monza automated analyser methods respectively). The results of the research showed as follows: On complete/affinity purification, 15mls of pure sample containing only the high molecular weight Lectin was obtained. The haemagglutination tests conducted showed on standardization preferential agglutination with Blood group A type. Bar Charts statistics show that there was Post Lectin Doses injections mean increase in Total WBC, NEU, LYM and decrease in MON, EOS, BAS, Urea and Glucose levels. However, the differences in Pre and Post Lectin Doses injections mean values of these parameters were further subjected to One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test statistics to determine if statistically significant. The ANOVA statistics show that the effects of the Lectin on all the assessed Leucocytes parameters viz, Total WBC, and Differential LYM, NEU, MON, EOS, BAS, the Urea and Glucose levels were found to be statistically insignificant. However, the EOS values of only group A was statistically significant. This research has therefore succeeded in Assessment of Activities of the A. achatina snail Lectin on Leucocytes, Glucose and Urea levels

Impact of Radioactivity and Heavy Metal Concentrations from subsurface formation cuttings on the Environment

An assessment of Naturally occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and heavy metals (Al, Cr, As, Hg, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn) from drill cuttings of six different layers in the subsurface of an oil well in the Niger-Delta was carried out. The assessment was carried out to estimate the radionuclides and heavy metals in the drill cuttings and as well determine, the radiological risks posed by the radionuclides and heavy metals to operators and nearby-inhabitants. The radionuclide activities and heavy metal concentrations of the samples were analyzed. The health hazard potential of human exposures to the metals, were estimated in terms of intensity and time using the USEPA recommended model. The average concentrations of the heavy metals present in the samples obtained from the formation zone, varied significantly and decreased in the order of Al > Zn > Ni > Pb > Cr > Cu > Cd > As > Hg. The mean activity concentration for the different radionuclides are 238U, 232TH and 40K were 3.9, 17.5 and 221.2 Bqkg-1 respectively. Comparing the results from this study with those of a previous study, shows that for sandstone formations, the uranium (238U) concentration was greater in the current study than what was obtained in the previous study while the 232TH and 40K concentrations were lesser in the former than the latter. A similar observation was made for a shale formation whereas, for a sandstone shale formation, the estimated 238U, 232TH and 40K concentrations are less than those of the previous study. The radionuclide activities decreased in the order of Layer 2 > Layer 1 > Layer 4 > Layer 5 > Layer 3 > Layer 6 whereas, for the heavy metal concentration obeyed this trend: Layer 5 > Layer 4 > Layer 3 > Layer 2 > Layer 1 > Layer 6. The risk assessment for the Annual Effective Dose Rate was greater than the allowable limit; while the exposure factor for heavy metal was within the allowable limit

Fiscal federalism and economic development in Nigeria: An auto-regressive distributed lag approach

This study examines the impact of fiscal federalism on economic development in Nigeria for the period 1981–2017 using the auto-regressive distributed lag approach. The data for the study were sourced from various issues of Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and International Country Risk Guide. It was found that revenue decentralization with a coefficient of −2.15 significantly retarded economic development at 5%, while expenditure decentralization with a coefficient of 2.935 significantly increased economic development at 5%. The overall decentralization indicator, captured as simultaneity measure with a coefficient of 4.264 significantly increased economic development at 1%. From the empirical evidence, fiscal federalism will encourage economic development in Nigeria. These findings support and reinforce the need for greater decentralization of fiscal responsibilities to sub-national government. Also, government should enact legislations to improve bureaucratic quality, and implement appropriate security reforms to further strengthen law and order to ensure economic development in Nigeria

A year of genomic surveillance reveals how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic unfolded in Africa

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The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

Investment in SARS-CoV-2 sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences generated, now exceeding 100,000 genomes, used to track the pandemic on the continent. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries able to sequence domestically, and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround time and more regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and shed light on the distinct dispersal dynamics of Variants of Concern, particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve, while the continent faces many emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century