Floristic composition and taxonomic distribution of plants in the dryland of Northwestern Nigeria

This study assessed floristic composition of plant species in the dryland of northwestern Nigeria with a view to understanding the inter-annual growth/decline in vegetation activity for sustainable management of species in the region. Quadrat sampling was conducted in nineteen study locations to inventory, identify and record plant species at 100m x 100m plots. Samples of species that were not directly identified in the field were collected on pressers and transported to herbarium of the Department of Biological Sciences of Bayero University Kano for identification. Results of this study revealed that a total of 50 plant species were encountered in the study area. These species fall into 22 families, 35 trees, 13 shrubs and 2 herbs. The families Caesalpiniaceae and Mimosaceae at 7% dominate the area with seven species while Sapotaceae, Mimosoideae, Meliceae, Malvaceae, Lamiceae, Euphorbiaceae, Burseraceae, Bombaceae, Balanitaceae, Ascelpiadaceae, Apocynaceae and Annonaceae are occasional with either one or two members. Analysis of abundance and rarity of species reveals that 10% and 90% of the encountered species were abundant and rare respectively in the study area. These finding poses serious ecological concerns in the study area, thus we recommended that rare species should be deliberately conserved by confronting the factors that increases rarity in the area. This may be achieved through targeted interventions aimed at reducing habitat loss and degradation.Key words: floristic composition, taxonomic distribution, plants, northwestern Nigeri

Determinants of learning management systems adoption in Nigeria : a hybrid SEM and artificial neural network approach

Research has shown that technology, when used prudently, has the potential to improve instruction and learning both in and out of the classroom. Only a handful of African tertiary institutions have fully deployed learning management systems (LMS) and the literature is devoid of research examining the factors that foster the adoption of LMS. To fill this void, the present research investigates the factors contributing to students’ acceptance of LMS. Survey data were obtained from registered students in four Nigerian universities (n = 1116); the responses were analyzed using artificial neural network (ANN) and structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. The results show that social influence, facilitating conditions, system quality, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness are important predictors for students’ behavioral intention to use LMS. Students’ behavioral intention to use LMS also functions as a predictor for actual usage of LMS. Implications for practice and theory are discussed

Estimation of excess life cancer risk and annual effective dose for boreholes and well water in Dutse, Jigawa State Nigeria

The level of 222Rn concentration for water samples collected from twenty-two (22) water samples in Dutse Local Government, Jigawa State, Nigeria was determined using liquid scintillation counter (Model: Tri-CarbLSA1000). Borehole and local hand dug wells are the two sources of water been collected. Also, an attempt was made to estimate the Excess Life Cancer Risk and Annual Effective Dose due to Ingestion for different ages groups. The mean value of 222Rn concentration were found to be 82.7461 and 94.10771 BqL-1 for boreholes and well water samples respectively. All the mean values are above the maximum concentration level set by UNSCEAR; WHO, but below European commission of 100 BqL-1. The resulting mean annual effective doses due to ingestion of radon in the water samples for infants, children and adults, were1.057081 and 1.202226 mSvy-1, 0.90607 and 1.030479 mSvy-1 and 0.604047 and 0.686986 mSvy-1, respectively. Also, the resulting mean Excess life cancer risk due to ingestion in borehole and well water sample for adults, children and infants were 2.114E-3 and 2.37 E-1, 3.171 x 10-3 and 3.61 E-3 and 3.7 E-4 and 4.21 E-3 respectively. All the values were found to be above the maximum concentration level for drinking water and domestic purposes. as set by UNSCEAR, WHO, EU and USEPA. From the radiological point of view, this study indicates that water resources around Dutse Local Government Area Jigawa State were not safe for domestic purposes and drinking

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran