Common Errors in Proposals and Dissertations and How to Avoid them: A Resident’s Guide

Background: The dissertation is now a necessary part of the fellowship examinations of both the West African college of surgeons and physiciansand the national postgraduate medical college of Nigeria. Many resident doctors are confused about how to get on with their proposals and thedissertations. This confusion often leads to frustrations, and in extreme cases to unnecessary delay in attempting the examinations when due. Aim: This study aims to identify the common errors made by resident doctors in the proposal and dissertations and to recommend the solutionsto such problems. Methods: This survey is based on a direct interview with experienced examiners in both colleges. The examiners were asked to list what they observed as the common problems they identified concerning the proposal and dissertation of residents. The answers were collated and categorized according to the frequencies of problems identified. Based on the response of the examiners, a questionnaire was designed and administered to the senior residents who are at various stages of writing their dissertations. Results: Some of the findings include starting the proposal too late, difficulty in choosing a topic, mediocre and tedious literature search, difficulty in finding appropriate supervisors, poor appreciation of basic research design and necessary statistical tests, improper presentation of results and  wrong referencing. Others are editorial mistakes, pagination errors, and the lack of knowledge on proper attitude and skill during the defense.  Conclusion: Starting too late is the most common error made by the resident doctor in the dissertation. Residents should choose a topic within 6  months of passing the membership examination. Keywords: Dissertations, errors, proposals, resident doctor

Evaluation of different packaging types for adoption in safe handling and transportation of fresh tomato fruits in Nigeria

ABSTRACTThis work evaluated plastic, wooden and carton crates and compared the best of them to traditional basket for possible adoption in safe handling and transportation of fresh tomato fruits in Nigeria. This was achieved through laboratory experiments and analysis involving static tests, simulating storage conditions (at average temperature and humidity of 28.920C and 62.08% respectively) and dynamic tests, simulating handling and transportation conditions involving dropping from different heights and vibration at different amplitudes and frequency. Based on experimental results and economic considerations, carton crate was adjudged the best and a new modified design of it was developed. The performance of the designed crate and the traditional basket presently in use in Nigeria was compared. Results of comparative predictive analysis between the carton and the traditional basket revealed that losses that can be incurred using traditional basket while on transit is about 6.25-7.08%; which can be reduced to an average of 5.71% when carton crates are used. In case of accident, the traditional method can incur an average loss of 51.59%, which can be reduced to an average of 37.88% when carton crates are used. In case of delay in travel (2-3weeks), the traditional method may lose an average of 23.81-88.10%, but this can be reduced to 14-67% when carton crates are used

Advanced Gas Turbine Rotor Shaft Fault Diagnosis Using Artificial Neural Network

The effect of vibration in plant leads to catastrophic failure of a system. This is why vibration monitoring of a system constitutes a very key practice of ensuring power plant availability. Force, Amplitude and Resonance a program written in Visual Basic Programming language was utilized in this study to monitor the vibration level of the Gas Turbine (GT17) in Afam thermal station and to calculate the force causing vibration on the bearing. The program was also run using the data obtained from the plant. Results show that vibration velocity amplitude of bearing 2 on weeks 5 and 8 were 6.7mm/s and 6.6mm/s and the forces causing vibration were 2.545x104N and 2.272x104N respectively. The comparison of results obtained with maximum vibration velocity amplitude of the machine (7mm/s) showed that the vibration of the machine was tending towards the maximum value. Therefore, proper attention should be given to bearing 2 to avoid failure of the Gas Turbine

Containing a Lassa fever epidemic in a resource-limited setting: outbreak description and lessons learned from Abakaliki, Nigeria (January–March 2012)

SummaryObjectivesDespite the epidemic nature of Lassa fever (LF), details of outbreaks and response strategies have not been well documented in resource-poor settings. We describe the course of a LF outbreak in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, during January to March 2012.MethodsWe analyzed clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory data from surveillance records and hospital statistics during the outbreak. Fisher's exact tests were used to compare proportions and t-tests to compare differences in means.ResultsThe outbreak response consisted of effective coordination, laboratory testing, active surveillance, community mobilization, contact and suspected case evaluation, and case management. Twenty LF cases (10 confirmed and 10 suspected) were recorded during the outbreak. Nosocomial transmission to six health workers occurred through the index case. Only 1/110 contacts had an asymptomatic infection. Overall, there was high case fatality rate among all cases (6/20; 30%). Patients who received ribavirin were less likely to die than those who did not (p=0.003). The mean delay to presentation for patients who died was 11±3.5 days, while for those who survived was 6±2.6 days (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe response strategies contained the epidemic. Challenges to control efforts included poor local laboratory capacity, inadequate/poor quality of protective materials, fear among health workers, and inadequate emergency preparedness

Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Activities of the Stem Bark of Yellow Flamboyant (Peltophorum pterocarpum)

Peltophorum pterocarpum (family; Fabaceae) is an evergreen perennial crop grown in tropical gardens. Different parts of this tree are being used for the management of many diseases. This study investigated the acute toxicity, analgesic and anti-inflammatory potentials of n-hexane extract of P. pterocarpum stem bark. Acute oral toxicity of n-hexane extract of P. pterocarpum stem bark was investigated using standard method. Analgesic activity was investigated by using acetic acid-induced writhing model, using indomethacin as a reference drug. Antiinflammatory activity of n-hexane extract of P. pterocarpum stem bark was investigated by using formalin-induced paw licking model, using aspirin as standard drug. In the acute toxicity study, mortality was observed at 500 and 2500 mg/kg body weight. In the acetic acid induced writhing test, the n-hexane extract of P. pterocarpum (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) showed a significant reduction in the number of writhing with 55.5 % and 60 % of inhibition respectively. In formalin-induced rat paw oedema test for acute inflammation, the n-hexane extract of P. pterocarpum in 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight showed 26.00 %, 27.89 % and 32.27 % inhibition of oedema respectively after 4hours, which is comparable to that of standard drug-aspirin (33.59 %). These results validated that the extract of P. pterocarpum possesses significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.Keywords: Peltophorum pterocarpum, acute toxicity, analgesic activity, anti-inflammatory activit

Studies on the Lipid Profiles of Wistar Rat Models Treated with Aqueous and Methanolic Leaf Extracts of Alchornea Cordifolia and Thaumatococcus Daniellii

This study aims at establishing the effect of T. daniellii and A. cordifolia leaf extracts on the lipid profile of experimental rat models. A total of twenty five (25) adult male wistar rats were used for the study. The rats were divided into five groups of five rats each. Group I (normal control) was administered with 2ml/kg distilled water p.o. Group II was administered with 200mg/kg aqueous leaf extract of T. daniellii p.o. Group III was administered with 200mg/kg methanolic leaf extract of T. daniellii p.o. Group IV and V were administered with 200mg/kg aqueous and methanolic leaf extracts of A. cordifolia respectively. Administration of extracts lasted for 14 days after which animals were sacrificed and serum developed from blood samples was collected and used for analysis to evaluate the lipid profiles of experimental models using standard methods. Results obtained from the study show that the highest level of Low Density Lippoprotein (LDL) (31.21±0.04 mg/dL) was recorded on Group II and was not significantly different from the control group (33.20±0.10 mg/dL). However, for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), the highest level was recorded on Group IV (48.14±0.08mg/dL). Similarly, this was not significantly different from the Control group (51.80±0.10mg/dL). Group II presented the highest level of Triacylglyceride (TG) (48.80±0.02mg/dL), which however, was considered not significantly different from the control group (51.17±0.08mg/dL). For Total Cholesterol (TC), highest level (64.64±0.49mg/dL) was recorded on Group II and value was not significantly different from that recorded on the normal control (63.83±0.10mg/dL). In conclusion, it can be deduced from this study that extracts of T. daniellii and A. cordifolia lacks the potential to alter the lipid profile of patients depending on them for one medicinal use or the other and may thus be considered potential candidates for drug development

The building blocks of community health systems: a systems framework for the design, implementation and evaluation of iCCM programs and community-based interventions

INTRODUCTION: Almost all sub-Saharan African countries have adopted some form of integrated community case management (iCCM) to reduce child mortality, a strategy targeting common childhood diseases in hard-to-reach communities. These programs are complex, maintain diverse implementation typologies and involve many components that can influence the potential success of a program or its ability to effectively perform at scale. While tools and methods exist to support the design and implementation of iCCM and measure its progress, these may not holistically consider some of its key components, which can include program structure, setting context and the interplay between community, human resources, program inputs and health system processes. METHODS: We propose a Global South-driven, systems-based framework that aims to capture these different elements and expand on the fundamental domains of iCCM program implementation. We conducted a content analysis developing a code frame based on iCCM literature, a review of policy documents and discussions with key informants. The framework development was guided by a combination of health systems conceptual frameworks and iCCM indices. RESULTS: The resulting framework yielded 10 thematic domains comprising 106 categories. These are complemented by a catalogue of critical questions that program designers, implementers and evaluators can ask at various stages of program development to stimulate meaningful discussion and explore the potential implications of implementation in decentralised settings. CONCLUSION: The iCCM Systems Framework proposed here aims to complement existing intervention benchmarks and indicators by expanding the scope and depth of the thematic components that comprise it. Its elements can also be adapted for other complex community interventions. While not exhaustive, the framework is intended to highlight the many forces involved in iCCM to help managers better harmonise the organisation and evaluation of their programs and examine their interactions within the larger health system

Advances in research on the use of biochar in soil for remediation: a review

Purpose: Soil contamination mainly from human activities remains a major environmental problem in the contemporary world. Significant work has been undertaken to position biochar as a readily-available material useful for the management of contaminants in various environmental media notably soil. Here, we review the increasing research on the use of biochar in soil for the remediation of some organic and inorganic contaminants.  Materials and methods: Bibliometric analysis was carried out within the past 10 years to determine the increasing trend in research related to biochar in soil for contaminant remediation. Five exemplar contaminants were reviewed in both laboratory and field-based studies. These included two inorganic (i.e., As and Pb) and three organic classes (i.e., sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs). The contaminants were selected based on bibliometric data and as representatives of their various contaminant classes. For example, As and Pb are potentially toxic elements (anionic and cationic, respectively), while sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs represent antibiotics, herbicides, and hydrocarbons, respectively.  Results and discussion: The interaction between biochar and contaminants in soil is largely driven by biochar precursor material and pyrolysis temperature as well as some characteristics of the contaminants such as octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) and polarity. The structural and chemical characteristics of biochar in turn determine the major sorption mechanisms and define biochar’s suitability for contaminant sorption. Based on the reviewed literature, a soil treatment plan is suggested to guide the application of biochar in various soil types (paddy soils, brownfield, and mine soils) at different pH levels (4–5.5) and contaminant concentrations ( 50 mg kg−1).  Conclusions: Research on biochar has grown over the years with significant focus on its properties, and how these affect biochar’s ability to immobilize organic and inorganic contaminants in soil. Few of these studies have been field-based. More studies with greater focus on field-based soil remediation are therefore required to fully understand the behavior of biochar under natural circumstances. Other recommendations are made aimed at stimulating future research in areas where significant knowledge gaps exist