Frequent power outages arising from poor state of electricity infrastructure is hindering Nigeria’s socio-economic growth. Port Harcourt is one of the foremost cities in Nigeria where business and social activities are becoming rapidly more dependent on electricity. Any power outage, even of the shortest duration, in Port Harcourt City has severe socio-economic impacts and there is no likelihood that the phenomenon would abate even in the nearest future. This research investigated the causes of incessant power outages in Port Harcourt City and suggested remedial measures to reverse the trend. The researcher relied on datacollected from primary sources through personal observations, interviews and discussions with residents of the City and from secondary sources such as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and current scholarly literature relating to this research, over a period of twelve months. The study used a descriptive and the non-parametric simple percentages technique in analysing the data so collected and in drawing conclusions. It was found that inadequate power generating capacity, shortage of gas, weak and dilapidated electrical transmission and distribution network, inadequate power infrastructure facilities, etc. are the chief causes of incessant power outages in the Port Harcourt metropolis. The paper recommends, among others, immediate upgrade of existing power infrastructure facilities, review of government policy on domestic gas supply and stiff statutory legislation on vandalism as measures to stabilise electricity supply in the Port Harcourt city.
In the construction industry lot of natural sand is being used in the preparation of concrete. Levels of natural sand are depleting day by day. The cost of natural sand is also increasing every day. Therefore, there is a need for alternative materials to natural sand. In this study, exfoliated vermiculite is replacing natural sand partially. Vermiculite at 5%, 10%, and 15% is used for replacement. The concrete cubes are cast for M 30 grade to determine the optimal percentage of replacement of natural sand by vermiculite. In this study, coarse aggregate used includes both normal aggregate and recycled aggregate. The water-cement ratio of 0.45 is adopted. The durability tests conducted include the sulfate resistance Test and the chloride resistance test. The cost analysis was also done and results are presented. The test results are promising when vermiculite was used to replace natural sand at 10%.
The coronaviruses are group of viruses containing about seven members that have genetic material of RNA. They are surrounded by the protein capsid and lipid-containing membrane which has spike protein as flower petals. This family of viruses can infect animals and birds as well as humans causing signs and symptoms of respiratory system. However, these depend on the immune system of the infected host. The COVID-19 pandemic is a major global health disaster and the greatest task have faced the world. The infecting agent of COVID-19 disease was identified on December 31st, 2019 by Chinese scientist in Wuhan City. It was named Novel Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-2 or SARS-2). After that, health minister of China announced that this virus is a new Coronavirus and it is of very high contagious rate [1]. In spite of the existence of many infectious cases in Libya at the winter season, the National Center of Disease Control (NCDC) announced about the first case of coronavirus on March 24th, 2020. It was identified by using a RT-PCR technique for a patient who came from Saudi Arabia. The NCDC, which is the government corporation responsible for the COVID-19 in Libya, has a daily news report about COVID-19 situation, including numbers of new cases infected patients, healing cases and total deaths number all over the country
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Self-medication, the practice of using medications without professional guidance, is a significant public health concern globally, particularly among medical students who, despite their pharmacological training, often engage in this practice at high rates. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of self-medication among medical students at the University of Tripoli, Libya. A sample of 121 undergraduate medical students was surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results revealed a high prevalence of self-medication (82.6%), with analgesics (51.2%) and vitamins (31.4%) being the most commonly used medications. Headache (80.4%), pain (79.9%), and respiratory issues (73.2%) were the primary health complaints prompting self-medication. Key determinants included pharmacist advice (43.8%), prior medical knowledge (32.2%), and recommendations from family or friends (12.4%). Factors such as residing in Tripoli and higher parental education levels were significantly associated with increased self-medication practices. Notably, 62.0% of the students reported using antibiotics without a prescription, raising concerns about antimicrobial resistance. The study highlights the need for educational interventions to promote responsible self-medication practices among medical students, emphasizing the risks associated with inappropriate drug use. Addressing these issues early in medical education could help mitigate the public health implications of widespread self-medication.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Recently studies showed that globally, more than 1.8 billion adults are overweight and in that around 650 million are obese. India is one among the most widely recognised countries which are identified with way of life today as being overweight. Obesity or overweight leads to heart diseases, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension etc. Objectives: Adulthood is a period where we have to pay at most attention tohealthy nutritional diet. Preventive measures through assuring the nutritional status of adults such as anthropometric, dietary survey, food consumption pattern, nutritional awareness, physical activity and alertness about diseases will assist the community from being overweight and thus the occurrences of metabolic disorders. Methods: zone chosen for the conduct of the study was Tirupati and based on the number of subjects required, their age profile; willingness to participate in the study; their health condition etc,. a private company which was willing was selected. The subjects chosen were in the age group of over 30-40 years. The selection was carried out using the purposive sampling technique. Results: The data indicates that some adults are in the border line of non-communicable diseases such as overweight or obesity, cardio vascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Conclusion: This could be rectified through regular practice of consuming a nutritious and appropriate diet in conjunction with physical exercise routine.
The incorporation of lomustine, a hydrophobic anticancer drug into PLGA nanoparticles by interfacial deposition method was optimized. Based on the optimal parameters, it was found that lomustine-PLGA nanoparticles with acceptable properties could be obtained. Optimization of formulation variables to control the size and drug entrapment efficiency of the prepared nanoparticles seems to be based on the same scientific principles as drug-loaded nanoparticles prepared by nanoprecipitation, solvent evaporation method. The process was the most important factor to control the particle size, while both the drug-polymer interaction and the partition of drug in organic and aqueous phases were the crucial factors to govern the drug entrapment efficiency. PLGA concentration at lower level (100 mg), 1:5 organic phase: aqueous ratio, 1%w/v PVA concentration, 3%w/v pluronic F68 achieved smaller particle size. Additionally, L:G ratio of PLGA 75:25, lower volume of organic solvent (1:10 organic phase: aqueous phase), higher initial drug content (10 mg) enhanced the drug entrapment efficiency and maintained lomustine concentration in blood for an extended time period, elevated lomustine concentration in lungs and slowed the elimination of lomustine. The biodistribution profiles of prepared nanoparticles in albino mice showed higher plasma drug concentration for longer period of time, elevated drug concentration in lungs and slow elimination from kidney. No toxic effects of prepared nanoparticles were observed in histopathological examination of lungs and kidney. The systematic investigation reported here promises the development of PLGA nanoparticles loaded with lomustine when tested in Lung Cancer cell line L132 and toxicological/ histopathological studies in albino mice.
Simply put, advertising is an important marketing strategy that works in conjunction with information and persuasion channels. Every single person is exposed to commercials on a daily basis. They've become an inseparable part of the print medium, whether it's newspapers or magazines, over time. This is also true in the case of broadcast media, where ad-commercials predominate. The Indian advertising industry has grown tremendously from a small business to a full-fledged industry. The purpose of this study is to determine the advertising attractions and the influence they have on Indian culture. Advertisements in India are not only used to sell products. It sells dreams, visions, and the ideal way of life, while also reinforcing stereotyped values. The longer an individual is exposed to an advertisement, the more likely it is that it will effect them. The appeals' goal is to change how people think about themselves and how they decide whether or not to buy certain things will benefit them. Because India has such a large population and cultural diversity, the advertising industry has created a wide range of advertisements to capture people's attention and persuade them to buy products. The appeals are written in such a way that they have an impact on people's purchasing decisions.
The establishment of the Nepal Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (NJMR) aimed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among global scholars. Consequently, a thorough examination of NJMR's trajectory toward its objectives became essential. This investigation, conducted through systematic review methods, durations five years and encompasses 164 articles, including one special issue. Throughout this period, the journal exhibited growing interest across diverse areas of study, although a notable observation was the limited citations in many articles. The majority of contributions came from scholars in Nepal and India, covering a wide range of subjects. Notably, Tribhuvan University emerged as a leading contributor, particularly in the areas of software development and cultural practices, which received more citations. The predominant focus of the journal was on quantitative research; however, there is a recognized need to acknowledge and emphasize the value of qualitative findings. To enhance its academic standing, the Nepal Journal of Multidisciplinary Research [NJMR] could benefit from increased global awareness, engagement, and a more balanced approach to research methods. Gaining wider acceptance may involve fostering international collaboration and ensuring a more comprehensive representation of qualitative research within its publications. By addressing these aspects, the journal has the potential to elevate its academic impact and contribute more substantially to the global scholarly community.
The current study was conducted to determine the insoluble, soluble, and total dietary fiber content of Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc., Phaseolus lunatus Linn., and Phaseolus vulgaris Linn., legume flours, using AOAC enzymatic-gravimetric analysis. The results showed that M. uniflorum, P. lunatus, and P. vulgaris legume flours contained 155.91, 120.01, and 90.80 mg/g insoluble dietary fiber, respectively. At the same time, soluble dietary fiber was not found in any tested sample.
Drug-drug interaction is an important issue for the development of safe pharmaceutical drugs. Propranolol is a non-selective, competitive antagonist at beta-adrenergic receptors. Propranolol is used to control hypertension, pheochromocytoma, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, angina pectoris and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Also, it is used to control symptoms of sympathetic overactivity in management of hyperthyroidism, anxiety disorders and tremor. Phenytoin is a voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, it is a major anti-convulsant drug that is very effective in controlling a wide variety of seizure disorders. In this study, elevated plus maze test was applied using five groups of male Albino mice, where each group consists of six mice. The first group is control and given 01.0% tween 80 with a dose of 5.0 ml/kg, the second group received propranolol 10 mg/kg, the third group received phenytoin 20 mg/kg, the fourth group received a combination of propranolol and phenytoin and the fifth group received diazepam (1.0 mg/kg) as a standard. It was found that propranolol alone produces anti-anxiety effect which is abolished when administered with phenytoin. Thus, the combined treatment of propranolol and phenytoin showed no significant difference compared to phenytoin alone or propranolol alone. It can be concluded that propranolol has anti-anxiety like effect an phenytoin antagonizes the propranolol anxiolytic effect when administered together. Propranolol, phenytoin and the combination of both decrease the spontaneous motor activity of mice. Propranolol and phenytoin partially antagonize each other on the spontaneous motor activity.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
To the editor, Somalia’s healthcare system, already burdened by decades of conflict and instability, continues to face immense challenges in access, equity, and governance. In this fragile setting, integrating bioethics into healthcare reform offers not only a moral compass but also a practical strategy for rebuilding trust and guiding policy decisions. Bioethical principles such as justice, autonomy, and non-maleficence are essential in fragile states where the absence of clear ethical standards has historically led to disjointed care and poor health outcomes. [1–3]
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Fixed-bed column has been considered an industrially feasible technique for phosphate removal from water. Besides the adsorption capacity, the effectiveness of an adsorbent is also determined by its reusability efficiency. In this study, phosphate removal by a synthesized amorphous zirconium (hydr)oxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite in a fixed-bed column system was examined. METHODS: The effects of flow rate, bed height, phosphate concentration, solution pH, and adsorbent particle size on the phosphate adsorption ability were examined through a series of continuous adsorption experiments. The appropriate breakthrough curve models, phosphate adsorption from real anaerobic sludge and synthetic seawater, column regeneration and reusability, and adsorption mechanism were also investigated for practical application feasibility. FINDINGS: The results showed that the increased bed height and phosphate concentration, and reduced flow rate, pH, and adsorbent particle size were found to increase the column adsorption capacity. The optimum adsorption capacity of 25.15 mg-P/g was obtained at pH 4. The coexistence of seawater ions had a positive effect on the phosphate adsorption capacity of the composite. Nearly complete phosphate desorption, with a desorption efficiency of 91.7%, could be effectively achieved by 0.1 N NaOH for an hour. Moreover, the initial adsorption capacity was maintained at approximately 83% even after eight adsorption-desorption cycles, indicating that the composite is economically feasible. The high phosphate adsorption capacity of the composite involves three main adsorption mechanisms, which are electrostatic attraction, inner-sphere complexation, and anion exchange, where the amorphous zirconium hydr(oxide) on the surface of the layered double hydroxides likely increased the number of active binding sites and surface area for adsorption. CONCLUSION: The amorphous zirconium (hydr)oxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite, with its high adsorption capacity and superior reusability, has the potential to be utilized as an adsorbent for phosphorus removal in practical wastewater treatment. This study provides insights into the design of amorphous zirconium (hydr)oxide/MgFe layered double hydroxides composite for phosphorus removal and recovery in a practical system.
The process of globalisation has made an unprecedented change in indigenous people's lives worldwide. However, the degree of exploitation and marginalisation vary from State to state and Adivasi tribal group to group. It examines very young, and older people are representing the highest number in the study areas. More than 73 per cent of Adivasi tribes are illiterates. The majority of families practice nuclear and have below three family members. Fifty-seven per cent of families have tiles roofs to their houses. 70% of respondents are cultivators (farmers), and 81% possess landholdings. More than 64 per cent collect minor forest produce. 68% of respondents earn less than 20k annual income. 90% of women participated in deciding their economic and family affairs—Majority Adivasi tribal suffering from anaemia, TB, BP and Diabetes. Adivasi tribals staple food is rice, followed by jowar—91% of respondents practising non-tribal traditional marriage system. The Government should take steps towards developmental activities in all villages, including water supply, bus services and roads. The Government has to take an integrated approach to develop Adivasi tribes in all aspects they need and participate in.
For a long time, cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death worldwide. Machine learning has found significant usage in the medical field as it can find patterns in data. Classification models can help cardiologists to diagnose heart diseases and minimize misdiagnosis accurately. In this paper, we explored a dataset related to heart disease and compared the accuracy of 43 machine learning classification models. The dataset for this research was downloaded from Kaggle; it contained 1190 observations, 11 features (age, sex, chest pain type, resting blood pressure, serum cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, resting electrocardiogram results, maximum heart rate achieved, exercise induced angina, oldpeak, the slope of the peak exercise ST segment) and a binary target variable (no heart disease or observed cardiovascular disease). For data exploration, preprocessing, training, testing, and predictor importance analysis, we used MATLAB R2004a software and the Classification Learner app included in this software. Before training machine learning classification models, we divided the dataset into a training set (90% of observations) and a test set (10% of observations). To prevent overfitting during the training of classification models, 10-fold cross-validation was used. The result showed that the best accuracy was reached with an optimized ensemble classification model (validation accuracy: 0.9262 and test accuracy: 0.9580). After calculating the permutation importance of each feature, we observed that the most important feature among all 11 features was the slope of the peak exercise ST segment.
This case report presents a rare instance of solitary endobronchial plasmacytoma in a 58-year-old male, who had progressively worsening shortness of breath and a productive cough. The patient, who had a smoking history, was found to have a large, hypervascular mass completely obstructing the right main bronchus, confirmed as a plasma cell tumor via endoscopic biopsy. Further diagnostic imaging, including positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and chest CT, revealed a mass measuring 1.7 cm with abnormal fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. The bone marrow biopsy ruled out multiple myeloma. The patient underwent challenging endoscopic debulking of the tumor, although margins were not well defined due to its size. Post-operatively, the patient showed significant symptomatic improvement and was discharged home on post-operative day 4. Two months after the procedure, follow-up with a chest CT scan and bronchoscopy showed no evidence of residual tumor or local recurrence, and the patient reported significant respiratory improvement. The literature review revealed that extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is uncommon and often occurs in the upper aerodigestive tract. The diagnostic workup generally involves histopathological analysis, bronchoscopy, and imaging studies. Treatment is tailored to the patient’s condition and the characteristics of the tumor. This case underscores the need for a high index of suspicion and comprehensive diagnostic evaluation of patients presenting with obstructive bronchial mass. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of considering endobronchial plasmacytoma in the differential diagnosis of obstructive bronchial masses and the value of early intervention in achieving favorable outcomes. Regular follow-up is crucial to monitor recurrence and ensure ongoing patient well-being.
India is a country of immense diversity. It is home to people of many different racial, languages, ethnic, religious, and national backgrounds. Groups of people in India differ from each other not only in physical or demographic characteristics but also in distinctive patterns of behavior and these patterns are determined by social and cultural factors like language, region, religion, and caste. Apart from behaviour, economic development, level of education and political culture of the people in various social segments differ from region to region. More you can say that economy and cultures have been enriched by the contributions of migrants from round the globe. In an increasingly globalised world, migratory movements is continuously shaping the countries all over the world. Some countries like India and Ireland, which set the example of economic development and social integration, have the positive impact of the migration by globalisation and some countries like USA, which recently witness racism, xenophobia and discrimination have the negative impact on the migrants. It does not mean India do not face fragmentation and USA do not have cohesion. USA have many stories which show successful integration process, that facilitated the lives of immigrant communities, but being a developed country it still suffers from cultural alienation. In these countries, borders are built within borders to create cultural divides that do not allow people to integrate. Recently, this problem has become more prominent due to the rise of terrorism, clash of cultures in the world, leading to the glorification of stereotypes. People are becoming less accepting towards anyone who does not belong to their region. Migration does not stop after people move from one place to another place. The main question start after that ‘now what’ they will do. That is why this topic needs to be discussed thoroughly in order to find better solutions. This paper will begin with an analysis of different approaches to Migration, discuss the target groups for integration policies, provide indicators of the current situation of migrants and proceed to an analysis of integration tools: legislation, social policies and participatory processes. It will focus not only on the impact of migration but also on social integration, mix culture like indo-western culture in a comparative basis.
Cet article s’articule autour de la question de la satire chez Sony Labou Tansi dans La vie et demie. Conscient de la complexité de la notion de la satire dans le temps et chez les spécialistes, il nous a semblé judicieux de confiner notre étude dans le strict cadre de la satire entendue comme genre et non comme esprit ou mode. Nous avons démontré que la satire dans La vie et demie se justifie par la présence des topiques qui fonctionnent comme une signature du genre. L’argumentation a mis un accent sur la dimension rhétorique de la satire en parlant des formes de comique mises en place dans La vie et demie, lesquels participent à l’étayage de la satire politique du Guide providentiel et de ses nuisibles descendants. Aussi, avons-nous souligné que la dimension rhétorique de la satire se justifie par la présence de la ménagerie. L ’imagerie animale qui permet de caractériser les personnages de Sony Labou Tansi emprunte à la faune sauvage sa diversité des bêtes.
Ethanol extract of Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. Fruit peel was evaluated for antiemetic and anti-inflammatory effects using the chick emesis model and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema. The antiemetic effect was observed at 150 mg /kg body weight whereas the anti-inflammatory effect was observed at doses of 500, 750 and 1000 mg /kg body weight orally. Chlorpromazine 150mg/kg and indomethacin 10mg/kg orally were used as standard anti-emetic and anti-inflammatory drugs. The anti-emetic effect was determined by calculating the mean decrease in the number of retchings compared to those of the control group after 10 minutes of copper sulfate (50mg/kg orally) administration. The degree of paw oedema of all the groups was measured using a plethysmometer at the 5th hour of carrageenan (1% w/v) administration. The extract exhibited statistically significant anti-emetic (P< 0.001) and anti-inflammatory (P< 0.05) effects.
Marketing refers to the actions that elevate customer value by motivating them to purchase the organisation's products or services (Kusumadewi, 2019). An organisation with strong capabilities must exhibit strong marketing capacities to effectively introduce its offerings to new markets (Lee and Falahat, 2019). Marketing strategies are part of an organisation's corporate strategy, which refers to the set of choices an organisation makes to develop and capture value across its business over time. As corporate strategy essentially drives financial performance (Sull et al., 2018), effective marketing strategies must be selected to ensure the organisation's attainment of objectives and long-term success.
This proposed work is used to optimize the costs of exceptional elements of machine cells for a variety of components in changing environments to have reduced material movements in cell layout. The exceptional ele¬ments are eliminated in the optimization model by doing machine duplication and part subcontract. Then the shop floor layout is designed to have optimized material movements between cells and within a cell. The result of a linear programming optimization model is cost savings, machines duplicated, parts subcon¬tracted, inter intracellular movements. Finally, the output of the inbound facility design is the floor layout which has machine cell clusters with optimized floor areas. The optimization model is provided with budg¬etary constraints for duplication and the economic tradeoff between machine duplication and part subcontract. Cell layout is prepared to reveal the saving in floor area and material movement lengths than in process layout with the help of distance matrix and dimensions of cells.
Augustine University Ilara Epe, Lagos, Nigeria
Jntua, Aicte
Banasthali Vidyapith