Search

The study analysed the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of inclusive extension service among agricultural extension workers in southwestern Nigeria. All the extension workers (268) in Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) in five states randomly selected within southwestern Nigeria were interviewed for the study via a structured and pre-tested questionnaire. The collected data were presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean age, formal education and job experience of the extension workers were 43.3±8.4, 17.0±2.6 and 14.1±8.4 years, respectively. The majority of the respondents were male (74.3%) and married (77.8%). Furthermore, most of them have encountered farmers with special needs such as albinism (81.7%), hearing impairment (87.3%), visual impairment (85.2%) and mental disability (81.7%) among others. The majority of the respondents (60.0%) had high capacity for inclusive extension service. The extension workers differed significantly across the states in terms of their practice scores, but not in their knowledge and attitude scores. The findings revealed that at p

The ability of students to learn, comprehend and retain texts varies according to several factors. Studies have indicated that this is partly due to students’ lack of knowledge of the contents of the texts. Evidence abounds in literature indicating that students performed poorly in the comprehension aspect of English language. Therefore, this study assessed the senior secondary school students’ comprehension and retention of Economics texts in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to assess: (i) the general level of senior secondary school students’ comprehension and retention of Economics texts (ii) the difference in the senior secondary school students’ comprehension and retention of Economics texts based on gender, subjects offered and school proprietorship. The researcher employed descriptive research of the survey type for the study. The sample consisted of 320 SS II students from eight (8) selected schools in Offa. The instrument used for the study was a researcher–designed questionnaire on Test of Comprehension of Economics Texts (TCET). The instrument yielded a test-retest reliability value of 0.76 using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation procedure. The data collected were analysed using the percentage, independent sample t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan Post-Hoc test to locate the direction of the observed differences. Findings of the study showed that: (i) the level of comprehension of Economics texts by senior secondary school students in Offa was high while their retention was average; (ii) there was no significant difference in the comprehension of Economics texts by senior secondary school students in Offa based on gender; (iii) there was a significant difference in the retention of Economics texts by senior secondary school students in Offa based on subjects offered and based on school proprietorship in favour of private schools. The study concluded that students had a fairly high level of comprehension of Economics texts and average retention level. Gender had no influence on students’ comprehension of Economics texts, while subjects offered, and school proprietorship influenced students’ comprehension and retention of Economics texts. It was recommended among others, that English and Economics teachers should collaborate in devising better innovative methodologies that can help the students comprehend the content learnt effectively.

The use of natural products as inhibitors has become increasingly popular due to environmental concerns and the need for sustainable corrosion solutions. In this investigation, response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to optimize the process variable of ASNE on API X65 steel in 1M HCl acid solution through gravimetric and surface analysis. The influence of concentration, temperature, and exposure time on the inhibition efficiency of avocado seed nanoparticle extract (ASNE) was examined using a central composite design (CCD). The optimum values obtained for the highest inhibition of 95.7% were a temperature condition of 25 °C, a concentration of 5 g/L, and exposure time of 24 hours. Microstructural examination of the studied samples showed a significant surface difference, confirming the formation of a protective layer on the steel surface. Experimental data was in good agreement with the model hence, the study provides valuable insights into the use of ASNE as an inhibitor for API X65 steel and demonstrates the effectiveness of RSM in optimizing the inhibition process variables.

There is currently a high need for effective and nontoxic corrosion inhibitors in the acidising industrial process due to rising concern for human life and environmental sustainability. As a result, in this work the anticorrosive efficiency of avocado seed nanoparticle extract (ASN) in APIX65 pipeline steel corrosion was examined in 1M HCl medium through weight loss and the potentiodynamic polarisation approach. The inhibitor morphology, particle size, and elemental composition were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The SEM examination of the steel surface indicates a considerable difference, demonstrating that the inhibitor formed a protective barrier on the metal surface with heteroatom constituents from the inhibitor. The findings show a corresponding increase in inhibition efficiency as the inhibitor concentration increases, with the highest inhibitor efficiency found at 95.65% for 5 g of ASN in 1 M HCl solution. Regarding the electrochemical test, ASN performs as a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor. The weight loss test findings corroborated the electrochemical investigations, indicating that ASN had a high inhibitive effect on X65 steel in an acid medium. The ASN nanosize gives a huge surface area, resulting in increased reaction activity and the development of more shielding coatings. This study sheds light on the development of sustainable corrosion inhibitors for X65 steel.

This paper reports on the flexural strength behaviour of Apa reinforced stabilized lateritic soil beams. The potential of using timber as a reinforcement material is because timber is abundant, cheap and locally available compared to conventional steel. Apa timber possess a tensile strength of 68.34 N/mm2. Experimental and Finite Element Analysis using ANSYS 15 were carried out to determine the flexural strength of Apa reinforced lateritic soil beams. The results showed an increase in the load-bearing capacity with increase in the percentage area of Apa reinforcement used in Lateritic soil beams. BS 8110-1:1997 requires that area of reinforcement for beams should not exceed 4%. At 4 percent area, the flexural strength of the Apa reinforced lateritic soil beams (ALB) was 0.763 N/mm2 with corresponding load capacity of 3.435 kN which is slightly higher than the steel reinforced lateritic soil beams (SLB) of 0.740 N/mm2 with corresponding load capacity of 3.329 kN obtained in the report

Abstract Background Orbital apex syndrome is a symptom complex of visual loss and ophthalmoplegia resulting from a disease involving the orbital apex. It can be caused by inflammation, infection, and malignancies. Mucormycosis is an infection caused by filamentous saprophytes of the order Mucorales. It is ubiquitous, and the infection can occur from ingesting contaminated food, inhaling spores, or injecting the disrupted skin or wounds. It is mainly a disease of the immunocompromised, affecting patients with poorly controlled diabetes, organ transplant recipients, and patients with hematological malignancies. We present the case of a man with orbital apex syndrome resulting from rapidly spreading rhino-ocular cerebral mucormycosis, who had a poor outcome despite an aggressive combined medical and surgical treatment. This is an unusual cause of orbital apex syndrome. Case presentation A 46-year-old Bangladeshi man presented to the emergency department with a history of toothache and pain in the left eye. On examination, the patient had a left-sided periorbital edema, ptosis, and proptosis. He had complete ophthalmoplegia and absent direct pupillary response in the left eye. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbit showed bilateral ethmoidal, left frontal, maxillary, and sphenoidal sinusitis with left orbital cellulitis. His left orbit was surgically decompressed and histology confirmed mucormycosis. Despite aggressive treatment, the patient had only a partial improvement in his symptoms. Conclusions Mucormycosis is a rare disease that can easily be misdiagnosed, leading to delayed treatment and disease dissemination. Clinicians must be suspicious of mucormycosis in patients presenting with multiple cranial nerve palsy.

The increasing unemployment of graduates and its consequence on society make it imperative to examine the potential of the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), as a work-integrated learning program, towards sustainability. This study adopts the descriptive survey design, with relevant research questions and hypotheses. The population of the study comprised all the 166 final-year students of vocational and technology education (business education, home economics education and technology education) undergraduates in the federal university in Lagos State, Nigeria. The sample size consisted of 132 randomly selected students from this cohort. The findings of this study can be generalized for other public universities in Nigeria on the assumption that they share similar characteristics. The findings showed that the inadequacy of SIWES duration, insufficient funding and poorly matched placements were some of the impediments to its effectiveness. The recommended strategy is an urgent improvement of the SIWES program for the attainment of sustainability in Nigeria.

We aim to study the characteristics and outcomes of patients with a Do-Not-Attempt Resuscitation and to determine its impact on the Cost of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. A retrospective study of all adult patients admitted to the hospital from June 2021 to May 2022 who had a Do-Not-Resuscitate order. We abstracted patients’ socio-demographics, physiologic parameters, primary diagnosis, and comorbidities from the electronic medical records. We calculated the potential economic cost using the median ICU length of stay for the admitted IHCA patients during the study period. There were 28,866 acute admissions over the study period, and 788 patients had DNR orders. The median (IQR) age was 71 (55-82) years, and 50.3% were males. The most prevalent primary diagnosis was sepsis, 426 (54.3%), and cancer was the most common comorbidity. More than one comorbidities were present in 642 (80%) of the cohort. Of the DNR patients, 492 (62.4%) died, while 296 (37.6%) survived to discharge. Cancer was the primary diagnosis in 65 (22.2%) of those who survived, compared with 154 (31.3%) of those who died (P = 0.002). Over the study period, 153 patients had IHCA and underwent CPR, with an IHCA rate of 5.3 per 1,000 hospital admissions. Without a DNR policy, an additional 492 patients with cardiac arrest would have had CPR, resulting in an IHCA rate of 22.3 per 1000 hospital admissions. Most DNR patients in our setting had sepsis complicated by multiple comorbidities. The DNR policy reduced our IHCA incidence by 76% and prevented unnecessary post-resuscitation ICU care.