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Audiologic Screening of people with Down syndrome in special schools in Surulere Lagos, Nigeria
No full textBackground: Down syndrome (DS) is associated with a high incidence of ear pathologies and hearing loss. There is a paucity of information on the audiology of people with DS particularly those in special schools in Nigeria. This study aimed to compare pneumatic otoscopy with tympanometry for middle ear screening and pure tone audiometry (PTA) with distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) for hearing screening in the different age groups of people with people DS.
Methodology: People with DS in two special schools for people with intellectual disability in Surulere, Lagos state were selected based on the schools’ record and their phenotype. Otoscopy, pneumatic otoscopy, tympanometry, screening PTA and screening DPOAE were performed on the subjects.
Results: 52 subjects aged 6 to 36years and an M: F ratio of 1.5:1 were studied. 82.7% of subjects had wax impaction. The prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) by pneumatic otoscopy was 57.8% and 40.2% by tympanometry and the same number of subjects performed both tests successfully. Screening PTA and DPOAE were successfully performed on 32.7% and 94.2% of the subjects respectively. Fail rate of 29.4% by PTA and 65.3% by DPOAE were recorded.
Conclusion: Regular ear check-up in people with DS is essential for the detection and treatment of ear wax, OME and hearing impairment which is highly prevalent in them. Pneumatic otoscopy is recommended for the detection of OME in all the age groups. Screening PTA and OAE are recommended for adults and children and none co-operative adults hearing screening respectively
Preparation, functional and pasting behavior of starch phosphates of red cocoyam (Colocosia esculenta) and white cocoyam (Colocosia antiquorum): a comparative study
No full textA contemporary strategy in the starch industries is the diversification of raw materials. However, the hydrophilic nature of starch limits its use as a raw material for food and packaging products, resulting in a low level of biodegradation. To address this issue, it is imperative that starch be chemically modified. Starch phosphates are among the most common and commonly used chemically modified starches. In this study, native red cocoyam starch (NRCS) and native white cocoyam starch (NWCS) were chemically modified with di-sodium hydrogen orthophosphate as phosphorylating agent to produce red cocoyam starch phosphate (PRCS) and white cocoyam starch phosphate (PWCS). The functional and pasting properties of the native and starch phosphates of both cocoyam species were evaluated and compared. The starch yield increased from ~ 17% for NRCS to ~ 25% for PRCS and from ~ 12% for NWCS to ~ 20% for PWCS. The water and oil absorption capacities were 97.00 & 143.00% for NRCS and 78.00 & 164.00% for NWCS, whereas for PRCS it was 160.00 & 153.00% and for PWCS it was 127.00 & 173.00% respectively. NRCS and PRCS had a foam capacity of 8.80 and 9.00% while NWCS and PWCS had 8.00 and 10.00% respectively. Phosphorylation had a significant impact on the pasting properties leading to a reduction in the peak, breakdown, set back, and final viscosities of the native cocoyam starches. In conclusion, phosphorylation considerably improved the functional and pasting qualities of red and white cocoyam starch, revealing its tremendous application potential in the formulation of food components, as a stabilizer, tablet binders in pharmaceutical industries, as well as in the packaging industries
Perceived Factors Influencing Farmers’ Preference for Rice Varieties in Enugu State, Nigeria
Get PDFThe study assessed perceived factors influencing farmers’ preference for rice varieties grown in Enugu State, Nigeria. A structured interview schedule was used to obtain information from 150 rice farmers. Data collected were analysed using frequency counts and percentages. The major rice varieties grown by the farmers were Faro 44 (60.7%), R8 (28.7%) and Mass II (20.7%). The farmers’ major sources of information that perhaps influenced their preferences for rice varieties were fellow farmers (93.3%) and personal observation (86.7%).The farmers’ perceived factors influencing preference of varieties were high yield (74.7%) and cooking characteristics like not sticking together on cooking (64.0%), nice taste (60.0%) and rising better while cooking (59.4%). Aside from the preference for FARO 44 rice variety because of high yield, the perceived factors influencing farmers’ preference of other rice varieties (R8 and Mass) were mainly because of seed availability. Therefore, farmers need information on affordable sources of FARO 44 rice seeds for higher yield that could increase their profit and raise their standard of living
Anticorps IgG et facteurs associés au paludisme clinique chez des enfants de moins de cinq ans vivant en zone endémique du paludisme au Burkina Faso: IgG Antibodies and factors associated with clinical malaria in children under five living in a malaria endemic area in Burkina Faso
No full textIntroduction: le paludisme demeure un problème majeur de santé publique. Les enfants de moins de cinq ans constituent le principal groupe vulnérable de cette maladie. Une meilleure connaissance de l’immunité anti-palustre, des facteurs associés au paludisme clinique ainsi que leur prise en compte peut contribuer à adapter les outils de prise en charge.Méthodologie: les données cliniques, socio-anthropologiques et les échantillons biologiques ont été collectés au cours d’une enquête transversale. Nous avons utilisé la technique des micro-puces à protéines pour mesurer le niveau des anticorps de type IgG dirigés contre 36 antigènes de Plasmodium falciparum chez des enfants de moins de cinq ans et appartenant à trois groupes ethniques (Peulh, Mossi et Rimaibé) vivant en sympatrie.Résultats: il n’y avait pas une association entre les variables âge, sexe, ethnie, anémie, type d’hémoglobine, utilisation de moustiquaire et le paludisme clinique. Les enfants qui avaient un niveau d’anticorps plus élevé et dirigé contre quatre antigènes (MR214, MR231 MR232, MR233) étaient exempt de paludisme clinique.Conclusion: les variables âge, sexe, anémie, type d’hémoglobine n’ont pas influencé la survenue du paludisme clinique chez les enfants. La présence des anticorps dirigés contre les antigènes (MR214, MR231 MR232, MR233) pourrait avoir contribué à leur protection.
Introduction: malaria remains a major public health problem. Children under five years old are the main vulnerable group for this disease. A better knowledge of antimalarial immunity, of the factors associated with clinical malaria as well as their consideration can contribute to adapting the management tools.Methodology: clinical, socio-anthropological data and biological samples were collected during a cross-sectional survey. We used the protein microarray technique to measure the level of IgG antibodies to 36 Plasmodium falciparum antigens in children under five years old belonging to three ethnic groups (Fulani, Mossi and Rimaibé) living in sympatry.Results: there was no association between the variables age, sex, ethnicity, anemia, hemoglobin type, mosquito net use and clinical malaria. Children who had a higher level of antibodies directed against four antigens (MR214, MR231 MR232, MR233) were free of clinical malaria.Conclusion: the variables age, sex, anemia, type of hemoglobin did not influence the occurrence of clinical malaria in children. The presence of antibodies against (MR214, MR231 MR232, MR233) antigens could have contributed to their protection
Chemical composition analysis of palm oils in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state
Get PDFPalm oil is one of the major fats and oils produced in Nigeria. It forms an important ingredient in the diet of many people in Ijebu-ode Ogun State, Nigeria. The quality of palm oil is mostly determined by the following parameters: Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content, Iodine Value (IV), Peroxide Value (PV), Moisture Content, Saponification Value (SV) and Impurity Content. This study attempts to investigate the chemical composition analysis of palm oil. sold in major markets in ljebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria. Twenty branded and unbranded palm oil samples were collected from three markets in Ijebu-Ode. They were analyzed for saponification value. Acid value and peroxide value using [1][2]. The results obtained showed that the Saponification value (SV) ranges from 183.03±0.15-220.89±0.05mgKOH/g. Acid value (AV) from 8.64±0.10-12.96±0.05mgKOH/g and Peroxide value (PV) from 7.50±0.10-15.00±0.15meq/kg. All the parameters investigated had values within the [3]/[4] standards. It can thus be concluded that palm oil from Ijebu-ode has a good shelf-1ife, is suitable for both domestic and industrial applications and there is no evidence of adulteration notable from their chemical compositional analysis
Gosling’s Buntings Emberiza goslingi in northwest Kenya: A new species for East Africa
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The Human Being, God, and Moral Evil
Get PDFThe evidence of human wickedness in the world is so transparent that no rational person can dispute its reality. This paper approaches the question of the human person from an African philosophical perspective and explores the relation between the apparently free-acting human being and God conceived as the creator of the world and the ultimate cause of the human being. The paper will proffer answers to the following question: to what extent can the human being be absolved of blame for the evil they perpetrate in a world conceived in African traditional religion and thought as the creation of a high deity who could have foreseen the negative bent of human nature and should have made human nature inclined to goodness all of the time? The paper will make novel contributions to the debate about human nature in African philosophical discourse by recasting the human being as a homo melancholicus, or melancholy being, whose evil inclination in the world can best be understood in the context of a tragic vision of reality.  
Review of [Development and Modernity in Africa: An Intercultural Perspective], by Joseph C A Agbakoba
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Short-term Study of the Influence of Aggregate Size on the Fire Resistance of Concrete
Get PDFThis study aims to investigate the effect of aggregate size on the fire resistance of concrete. The binder for this investigation was 42.5R CEM II/A-L Portland limestone cement, and the crushed granite sizes were 20mm, 12.5mm, and a blend (20 mm + 12.5 mm). The concrete was designed with a mix ratio of 1:2:4 (batching by weight) and 0.55w/c. The workability of the concrete was determined using the slump method. The concrete specimens were cured for 7, 14, and 28 days by immersion and later exposed to heat temperatures of 26.8 °C (Room temperature), 60 °C, 120 °C, 180 °C, and 240 °C. The compressive strength of normal concrete (without heating) had the optimum with concrete produced with blended aggregate size and conversely the least with 20mm aggregate size concrete. When subjected to heat, the optimal performance noted for the influence of aggregate size on fire resistance was also with concrete produced with combined blend (20 mm + 12.5 mm) sizes. The p-value (Prob > F) for the whole model test is less than 0.05, indicating that there is a significant relationship between the grain size, temperature, and strength loss. The use of blended sizes of 12.5 mm and 20 mm is therefore recommended for concrete works and especially when fire resistance is a requirement
Assessing Social Sustainability Performance in Textile Industry using Integrated Fuzzy Best-Worst Method and Fuzzy Inference System
Get PDFThe main purpose of the research primarily focused on the development of sustainable social indicators and to test their usefulness and applicability in the Nigerian textile sector in terms of social performance. The integrated Fuzzy Best-Worst method (FBWM) and Fuzzy inference system (FIS) was presented to aid in the evaluation of these indicators. The outcomes demonstrate that employee rights received the highest score of 0.206 in the study. Employee rights are regarded as the most crucial and critical factor. Furthermore, among the indicators, fair salary has the highest global weight. The case company's sustainability performance index was 0.248, which was in the "poor" performance category. A case study was conducted in a Nigerian textile industry to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. These findings will assist managers and policymakers in the textile manufacturing industry, particularly in emerging economies such as Nigeria, in developing strategies to lay the groundwork for social sustainability and transition to truly sustainable textile manufacturing industry