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Spirulina is a filamentous, multi-cellular and autotrophic cyanobacterium having distinct features of helical shape filaments (i.e. trichomes). An investigation is to isolate a marine, Spirulina subsalsa from Vellar estuary, South East Coast zone of India. The isolated strain sub-cultured in Zarrouk medium with optimum conditions for sustaining growth. Pure cultures were examined in a research microscope for morphometric studies through 16S rRNA sequencing and the sequence was submitted to NCBI-GENBANK, the accession number is MW037197 which displays the maximum similarity as 100% with a diverse sequence in databank i.e. LC 215280. The investigation is the first record for the existence of Spirulina subsalsa in Vellar Estuary, South East Coast, Tamil Nadu (India) as affirmed by a molecular nucleotide sequence.

Background: Buruli ulcers are characterized by massive subcutaneous tissue destruction which can be treated effectively and completely when detected early. Characteristic histopathologic changes are considered one of the confirmatory laboratory methods for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcers. Objective: To assess the histopathologic features of Buruli ulcer cases presenting in a referral hospital in South Eastern Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was carried out among a cohort of 39 Buruli ulcer disease patients referred to a referral hospital in South Eastern Nigeria between July and December 2021. A semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents while the incisional skin biopsy specimens obtained from the patients in the course of their treatments were sent for histopathologic evaluation. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22; with alpha set at p-value ≤ 0.05. Results: Twenty one (53.8%) of the study participants were males while 18 (46.2%) were females. Their mean age was 28.41±18.668. Epidermal hyperplasia and elastolysis of the dermis were present in 35 (89.7%) of the patients. There was inflammation of the dermis and subcutis in 34 (87.2%) of the patients while necrosis of the subcutis was present in 38 (97.4%) of the patients. AFB was not visualized in any of the lesions of the patients. Overall, the characteristic histopathologic features of Buruli ulcer were demonstrated in 33 (84.6%) of the patients and four (10.3%) of the patients had features of squamous cell carcinoma while 2 (5.1%) had features of varicose veins. Keywords: Buruli ulcer, histopathology, hospital, Nigeria , Patient, South East. Title: Histopathologic features of Buruli ulcer patients in a referral hospital in South Eastern Nigeria Author: Chijioke A. Ezenyeaku, Chinomnso C. Nnebue, Ifeoma A. Njelita, Chinyerem C. Nwachukwu, Darlington C. Obi, Chioma C. Ajator, Ahoma V. Mbanuzuru, Cyril C. Ezenyeaku, Anthony A. Agbata International Journal of Novel Research in Healthcare and Nursing ISSN 2394-7330 Vol. 10, Issue 2, May 2023 - August 2023 Page No: 133-144 Novelty Journals Website: www.noveltyjournals.com Published Date: 23-June-2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8074812 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Histopathologic%20features%20of%20Buruli-23062023-4.pdf, International Journal of Novel Research in Healthcare and Nursing, ISSN 2394-7330, Novelty Journals, Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Burn injuries contribute significantly to childhood morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to document the pattern of presentation and outcome of pediatric burn injury in Enugu. Methods All children with burn injuries over a 7-year period (June 2011 to May 2018) and were managed at three tertiary health institutions, were studied. Information including their socio-demographics, clinical features and treatment outcome were obtained and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Results 198 out of 201 records were available for analysis. Most (186; 93.9%) burn injuries occurred at home. Hot liquid (112; 56.7%) was the commonest cause of burn injury. A lot of substances were\used topically for first aid, raw eggs (52; 31%) being the commonest. The outcome had significant association with cause of injury, depth of injury, total burn surface area (TBSA), and inhalation injury. Most were safely discharged home while a total of thirteen (6.6%) children died. LA50 was 54.87%, while the maximum TBSA salvaged was 65%. Conclusion Burn injuries in children in this environment remain a serious challenge in the face of widespread lack of awareness regarding safe practices in handling hot and flammable items at home.

Background: Management of urethral stricture disease remains a challenge in the field of urology. Though several options exist for its management, urethroplasty has proved to give the best outcome. Methodology: This is a retrospective study of urethral strictures and urethroplasties for 5years spanning from January 2015 to December 2019 at a tertiary teaching hospital in Anambra, South East Nigeria. Data was retrieved from the case notes of all the urethral strictures cases which presented to our facility in these 5 years and analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results: A total of 186 patients were diagnosed with urethral stricture disease within the 5 years' period. However, only 28 (15.1%) of them had urethroplasty within the period, mostly due to lack of fund. Of those who had urethroplasty, their ages ranged from 4 – 64 years with a median of 29.50 years. Motor vehicular road traffic accident (RTA) was the most common (46.43%) aetiology. Excision and anastomosis was the most common type of urethroplasty performed (71.43%) and the most common complication was stricture recurrence (32.14%). Conclusion: Though urethroplasty techniques have become more refined, accessibility of care continues to hamper treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa due to socioeconomic issues.

Murray-Darling Freshwater Research CentreMDFRC item.Intra- and interspecific variation in the intersetular distance (i.s.d.) of some southern Australian cladocerans was examined. The seasonal range of i.s.d. inDaphnia carinata adults (2.34±0.07 mm) was 0.17–0.25 µm. I.s.d. increased with increasing body size forD. carinata andD. thomsoni. Variation in i.s.d. between nine adult cladoceran taxa (several of which coexisted) also was examined; significant differences did occur, but the size range was small (0.14 to 0.58 µm). The possibility that intersetular distances are an index of niche separation based upon the capture of different particle sizes is discussed.

The hyper-arid Taflilat Basin, South-East Morocco, is dominated by two ephemeral fluvial networks and several ergs with various dune forms from barchans to mega dunes. Especially the genesis of the star dunes remains an open research question. Therefore, a new multi-sheet geomorphological map describes the surface dynamics in the basin. Identification of major surface features was done with remote sensing data and on-site surveys. The analyses were used to identify all different landscape units. Additionally, aeolian features are emphasized to deduce current wind directions. The identification of two opposite wind fields was possible and a spatial correlation in the fluvial-aeolian system is detected. The border of the opposite wind fields crosses Erg Chebbi. Hence, the star dunes are under the influence of a multimodal wind system. Overall, this new geomorphological map strengthens the understanding of the fluvial-aeolian interaction in the Tafilalt Basin and sets a baseline for ongoing in-depth studies.

Dynamic capability (DC) is an ability that has helped big corporations navigate successfully through the ever-changing and competitive business environment. However, SMEs in the southeast of Nigeria seem not to have fully maximized the opportunities embedded in these practices, hence, the need to examine the dynamic capabilities SMEs in Southeast Nigeria need, to stay relevant and ahead of competitors. This study, therefore, looked at the concept of DC and those capabilities that could help SMEs stay afloat in the ever-changing business environment. The capabilities looked at include sensing, absorptive and adaptive capabilities. Others are innovative networking and integrative capabilities. The study further examined the micro-foundations of DC and the composition of SMEs in South East, Nigeria. To embellish the work, Dynamic Capability Theory (DCT) was used to anchor the work. Some studies were reviewed empirically. The study concluded that DC is one of the surest ways to ensure that SMEs compete favourably in the ever dynamic marketplace. Hence, it was recommended among other things that SMEs need not to be operating in isolation of what is happening in the global market, as what happens outside has an implication on what happens inside the organization, and as such, need to be alert through the application of DC principles. Keywords: Dynamic Capability, Sustainability, SMEs, South-East, Absorptive, Adaptive and Innovative Capability.

The comprehensive large-scale assessment of future available water resources is crucial for food security in countries dealing with water shortages like Iran. Kerman province, located in the south east of Iran, is an agricultural hub and has vital importance for food security. This study attempts to project the impact of climate change on available water resources of this province and then, by defining different scenarios, to determine the amount of necessary reduction in cultivation areas to achieve water balance over the province. The GFDL-ESM2M climate change model, RCP scenarios, and the CCT (Climate Change Toolkit) were used to project changes in climatic variables, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used for hydrological simulation. The future period for which forecasts are made is 2020–2050. Based on the coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient, the CCT demonstrates good performance in data downscaling. The results show that under all climate change scenarios, most parts of the province are likely to experience an increase in precipitation yet to achieve water balance a 10% decrease in the cultivation area is necessary under the RCP8.5 scenario. The results of the SWAT model show that green water storage in central and western parts of the province is higher than that in other parts. HIGHLIGHTS The study is carried out in a part of the Middle East where the most severe water crises exist.; It tries to evaluate the future situation of the available water of the region under climate change impacts.; It uses the worldwide accepted models, namely SWAT and CCT.; There are few scientific studies on available water in this region accompanied by some policy to reduce the negative impacts.

The aim of this paper is to analyse some strategies of power, social control and legitimation during the Iberian Late Iron Age (6th–1st centuries BC). It addresses how the Iberian elites exploited the domain of the ‘outside’ to legitimise and to retain their status. A diachronic approach is presented seeking to analyse the role of the outside realm throughout all the examined period and the variety of its expressions within the Iberian societies. In particular, the paper focuses on the south-east of Spain, an area with a rich archaeological record which, however, have never been approached from this view.

Study of past changes in environment and, its effect on human society delivers key information to reconstruct the hystorical past but also to project future changes and their effects. Study focus on South-East Georgia, Caucasus region, which represents natural polygon of long term changes in the environment. Study area represents semi-arid Shiraqi plain in South-East Georgia (see the map below). It is characterized with annual precipitation

The main objective of the study was to identify the challenges of IPSAS implementation in the Nigerian Public Sector. This was as a result of low level of accountability and improper application of accounting standards by government institutions. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the various respondents. The population of the study consists of accountants, auditors and cash officers in government ministries, departments and agencies in Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo States. The population was estimated at 8901for the five States. The sample size of 387 was drawn using the stratified sampling technique. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for the hypothesis test. The results showed that the challenges that impinge the full implementation of IPSAS in Nigeria include: governments’ unwillingness in terms of political-will towards full IPSAS implementation; statutory adjustment, inadequate funding and institutional commitment among others. It was therefore recommended that there should be adequate funding for the IPSAS implementation projects as most of the Public Sector Entities attributed inability to implement IPSAS Accrual to paucity of funds. Government should also show more political will as well as commitment and support for the accrual basis IPSAS implementation at the Local Government level.

This scientific paper aims to identify an important monastery that was established in the fifth century AD southeast of Jerusalem i.e. two centuries before the arrival of Islam. That monastery is: Mar Saba Monastery: After Saint Saba (439-532 A.D.) who lived an ascetic life in a cave 15 kilometers southeast of Jerusalem over a valley that extends from the foothill of Mount Al-Tur in Jerusalem and runs into the Dead Sea. The Valley is mentioned in the Bible as “Kidron” while others call it “Yehushevat” or the Valley of Tears (People call it now Wadi Al-Nar or the Inferno Valley ). Saint Saba was followed by other monks who lived in the surrounding caves. In 483 A.D. Saint Saba and his followers began to build a monastery in the place which became of its proximity to Jerusalem. It hosted a large number of monks from different denominations, and contained a distinguished library throughout history. That monastery became a place of pilgrimages for travelers, researchers, and Jerusalem visitors over a period of sixteen centuries. It was also known for Christian pilgrims, since it hosted thousands of monks. This study also aims to provide sufficient data about Saint Saba and his monastery. It also discusses how the monastery was developed throughout history, its pertinence to Jerusalem, and the role it played in attracting tourists and travelers to the Holy Land as well as in the cultural development in Jerusalem and the vicinity. Keywords: Jerusalem (Bayt al-maqdes), Monastery, Mar Saba

This article reports the results of a study examining the causal relationship between fuel consumption, exchange rates, and economic growth in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The data used are annual time series data ranging from 1988 to 2016. The estimation results of the VAR model and the Granger causality test indicate that the causal relationship that occurs is only a short-term causality, namely from fuel consumption to economic growth.Keywords: fuel consumption, exchange rate, economic growth, VAR model, Granger causality test.JEL Classifications: C120, C320, E21, F31DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.11518

After the tropical storm Cristobal, we performed special adult entomological collections in the peri-domicile of 35 houses from 25 neighborhoods of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico in response to complaints from the community about an increased nuisance due to an abundance of mosquitoes. A total of 1,275 specimens from four genera and 13 species were collected: Aedes taeniorhynchus (92%), Culex quinquefasciatus (72%), Aedes aegypti (72%), Psorophora mexicana (36%), Psorophora cyanescens (32%), Aedes scapularis (24%), Culex nigripalpus (24%), Aedes albopictus (8%), Psorophora ferox (4%), Haemagogus equinus (4%), Aedes trivittatus (4%), Culex coronator (4%), Culex iolambdis (4%). From these collections, the increased mosquito nuisance was mainly the result of invasive species such as Aedes taeniorhynchus and Psorophora. City wide, vehicle mounted ULV spraying was performed by the MoH and the municipality of Merida to control adult mosquito populations. We report Culex iolambdis for the first time in Merida and Psorophora mexicana for the state of Yucatan.

In this research, Sampling of macrobenthos of Mazandaran beaches was performed in 7 stations at two depths of 5 and 10 meters during four seasons in 2020 using a grab with 8 replications in each station. In this study, a total of 10472 individuals were counted, which belonging to 22 species from 13 families. The highest frequency of macrobenthos (648 ± 170.79) was observed in spring and the highest amount of biomass (36.21 ±2.5 gr / m2) was observed in winter. Moreover, the highest prevalence of macrobenthos predominant groups during the sampling period was observed in Bivalves (40%), Crustaceans (36%), Annelids (22%) and Gastropoda (2%), respectively. The results of PERMANOVA analysis showed that the effect of two factors of season and depth impacted the biomass, abundance, species richness, species composition and community structure of macrobenthos significantly. Furthermore, the results showed that with increasing the depth from 5 to 10 meters, macrobenthos abundance increased by 4, 2, 1 and 9 times in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. Moreover, increase in depth from 5 to 10m, the values of biomass and species richness have increased. In according to these results, it can be concluded that biomass and diversity index of macrobenthos communities change considerably in different seasons and depths. Therefore, natural changes of these variables should be considered when using these macrobenthos communities to assess the impact of environmental factors.

Data sourced from literature for wood density (WD) and fire properties for fifteen Nigerian woods were analysed. The fire properties are ignition time (IT), flame propagation rate (FPR), flame duration (FD), afterglow time (AGT), ash formation (AF) and limiting oxygen index (LOI). The aim was to correlate density and fire properties of wood using eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The analysis tool adopted was the statisticalanalysis system (SAS) where principal component and regression analyses were performed. Based on the presented data and analyses, WD was found to relate well with FPR, AGT and LOI with an adjusted R-Square = 83% while the other three parameters: IT, FD and AF constitute random noise. 2.11.0.0 2.11.0.0

The aim of the study was to provide a phenological data and baseline information on the phenology of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. The study was conducted with exotic species at Ihiala, South-East, Nigeria, a tropical climate. The initiation and completion of different phenophases of the tree, such as budding, leafing, flowering, fruiting and ripening were recorded at two weeks interval. The combination of the principal growth stages and the secondary growth stages produced 2-digit codes, were used to delineate the time-dependent phenophases. The results revealed that E. guineensis showed a cyclical and seasonal appearance of the phenophases observed in the course of the year. Bud formation and leaf development phenophases were very gradual and steady across the months observed. Peak flowering time of August through November and peak ripening time of April was recorded in this study. Also, the study revealed that difference existed in the extent of phenophases of the observed species. The study also showed that E. guineensis belong to the family (Arecaceae) had different time frames for the phenophases. It is concluded that the phenological records obtained from the study can be very useful in planning and management of orchards, and can provide reference records in tracing changes in the phenology of E. guineensis in the future.

Within one week in 2019, there were two traffic incidents on the South Circular in Catford, South East London, where one cyclist died and another one was severely injured. At the same time, a new i...

Since 1995, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) implemented the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as an international comparative study. This article aims at identifying the correlations of science classroom instructions with TIMSS science achievement of eighth graders among countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia. The freely downloadable secondary data were analyzed using a plug-in for SPSS, i.e., the International Database (IDB) Analyzer (version 4.0) of IEA using an imputation methodology involving plausible values so that student’s performance can be reported. This study found that Southeast and East Asian countries with high average science achievement adequately emphasized academic success, have teachers with job satisfactions well as facing few challenges, have students with sense of belonging to school. Based on the research findings, policy recommendations were made to the Malaysian Ministry of Education to boost Malaysian eighth graders' science performance in the forthcoming TIMSS studies. Keywords: Classroom instructions, comparative study, leadership motivation, science achievement, TIMSS

Dogs are of immense social, psychological and economic importance in Nigeria and are severely affected by African trypanosomosis. However, the prevalence of canine African trypanosomosis (CAT) in Nigeria is underreported and the identification of the parasites relies mostly on basic morphological characteristics under the microscope, which could be misleading. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence and characterize trypanosomes isolated from dogs in South east Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out to determine the prevalence and molecular identification of trypanosomes in dogs in Enugu North Senatorial Zone (ENSZ), South east Nigeria. Dogs (n = 450) were randomly sampled, their blood collected and some characteristics such as sex, breed, sampling location, season and age duly noted. The blood samples were screened for trypanosomosis using standard trypanosome detection techniques. Trypanosome-positive blood samples were spotted on FTA® cards for molecular identification using nested Tubulin-PCR, ITS-PCR, TgsGP-PCR, and DNA sequencing. Some hematological parameters of the dogs such as packed cell volume (PCV), total leucocyte count (TLC), red blood cell count (RBC) were also determined. Of the 450 dogs sampled, 51 dogs were positive for trypanosomes with a prevalence rate of 11.3% (95% CI = 0.087–0.146). Trypanosoma brucei was the predominant trypanosome species infecting dogs in the study area. T. congolense, T. evansi, and T. vivax were also identified. The prevalence of canine trypanosomosis was significantly associated with season (χ2 = 13.821, df = 1, P = 0.0001) and the sampling location (χ2 = 6.900, df = 2, P = 0.032) while sex, breed, and age were not. The PCV and RBC of the infected dogs were significantly lower (p

An understanding on different aspects of droughts is crucial for effective water resources management. Australia has experienced notable droughts in recent years. The present study utilises Effective Drought Index (EDI) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) based on six time horizons (3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 36 months) to evaluate drought parameters such as magnitude, duration, and intensity with their onset and end in south-east Australia using data from 45 rainfall stations. Maximum drought quantities determined using SPI and EDI, with average data length of 125 years, have been mapped by spline interpolation technique. Furthermore, average drought parameters for each of the SPIs and EDI have been investigated and spatial distributions of drought quantities have been exhibited. In the study area, SPIs based on different time scales (either short term or long term) have detected the maximum drought severity, duration, and/or intensity (at least one of the parameters) between 2013 and 2019. It has been found that south-east Australia had faced one of the most intense droughts during 2013 to 2019. It has also been found that the longest duration of drought has been in southern and eastern coasts of the study area. Generated maps based on average EDI values have depicted that the north-western and central parts of the study area have experienced the longest and strongest drought, whereas higher-intensity drought has been found to be dominating the eastern and southern parts of the study area. Higher frequency of the number of droughts has been found mostly in the east and south of the study area in terms of moderate, severe, and extreme droughts. The generated spatial maps of SPIs and EDI in this study help to identify the most drought-prone and vulnerable parts within south-east Australia. The drought maps developed for south-eastern Australia by this spatiotemporal analysis can be a key tool to policymakers for mitigation, risk assessment, and drought preparedness planning.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have transformed healthcare delivery through various forms of e-health initiatives particularly in the areas of disease control, diagnosis, patient management, teaching, communication, storage, and retrieval of medical information. These benefits notwithstanding, health information managers are still deficient in the effective use and application of modern ICT facilities in the performance of duty in health institutions. It is therefore of interest to study the ICT knowledge and utilization level of health information managers and how it affects their job performance. A descriptive study was conducted involving 22 selected government-owned, mission/faith-based, and private health institutions from over 4,093 health institutions that provided patient care information support services and had licensed Health Information Managers in their employment in South-East Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit responses from 411 health information managers in the selected health institutions using stratified sampling technique. The results show that majority of the Health Information Managers in this study have adequate ICT knowledge through training received from self-study, but utilization was poor because most of these health institutions visited do not have ICT facilities. Nevertheless, they are competent in discharging their duties. Provision of adequate funding for ICT, computerization of health institutions, and training of health information managers on the use of ICT to enhance job performance are recommended. Key words: ICT knowledge, ICT utilization, Health Information Managers, job performance, patient care, coding.

Phenology refers to periodic biological phenomena that are correlated with climatic conditions. Very little is known about the phenological pattern of most tropical fruit trees especially in the South-East, Nigeria. The aim of this study was to provide a phenological data and baseline information on the phenology of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-lecomte ex O’Rorke). The study was conducted with exotic species at Ihiala, South-East, Nigeria, a tropical climate. The initiation and completion of different phenophases of the tree, such as budding, leafing, flowering, fruiting and ripening were recorded at 2 weeks interval. The combination of the principal growth stages and the secondary growth stages produced 2-digit codes, were used to delineate the time-dependent phenophases. The results showed that changes in the prevailing seasons influenced the vegetative phenophases in I. gabonensis. There are splashes of rains even in the supposed dry months. Hence, bud formation, leafing and leaf fall phenophases were overlapping all through the seasons. Flowering phenophase peaked by March/April with the coming of the rains. Also fruiting and ripening peaked by June/July respectively (rainy season). Thus the study has revealed that the major seasons in the area (rainy and dry seasons) influence the various phenophases in I. gabonensis. The study has equally revealed the phenological data and base line information on the phenology of I. gabonensis which will in the future serve as correlation between phenology and climate change in the area. The study has revealed that the phenology of I. gabonensis may not be stable or resilient since it is influenced by these changing seasons, little wonder then a shift in phenology is recorded in this study.

PurposeThe purpose of this study comprises the following three: (1) to ascertain the purpose of university module evaluation questionnaires (MEQs) and its reliability; (2) to evaluate University X's MEQ; and (3) to offer how Universities may be able to support their teaching staff with scholarship activities using the MEQ project.Design/methodology/approachUniversity MEQ purposes and its reliability were investigated using literature reviews. The University X's MEQ seven statements were evaluated by three university academic staff. The study was conducted at a British university in South East of England. The duration of this interdisciplinary project was for two months which was a university interdisciplinary project between 14/07/20 and 13/10/20.FindingsThe purpose for MEQs includes (1) students’ satisfaction; (2) accountability for university authority and (3) teaching feedback and academic promotions for teaching staff. The evaluation of University X's MEQ indicated that MEQ questions were unclear which do not serve reliable student evaluation results. This topic may be of interest to University MEQ designers, lecturers, University Student Experience team, University Executive Board, University administrators and University HR senior management teams.Originality/valueThe following three points are considered original to this study: (1) MEQ purposes are summarised by students, university authority and teaching staff; (2) the evaluation of a British University MEQ; (3) provides suggestions on how lecturers' scholarship activities can be supported by the university-wide initiative and umbrella network. These are practical knowledge for the faculty and administrators of higher education institutions which may be of use.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes remain a challenging health problem in Nigeria. Before conception, couples need to utilize preconception care which is meant to address most of the reproductive health risks. However, the use of this service and its determinants is not well investigated globally. This Cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing the utilization of preconception care and its determinants among mothers in South-East Nigeria. Pre-tested and validated structured Questionnaire on Preconception Care Utilization was used to collect data from 350 postnatal women who were systematically selected from 33 sampled health facilities. Data were collated and entered into SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between the demographic characteristics of the mothers and the utilization of preconception care. Statistical significance was set at p

Visual impairment greatly affects one’s quality of life. The number of persons with visual impairment and blindness in the world is on the increase. Eye screening allows for early detection of sight-threatening diseases and timely intervention could be sight-saving. Aim: To determine the practice of eye checks and identify the factors that affect periodic eye checks among medical doctors in south-east Nigeria. Methodology: This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among practicing medical doctors in private and public hospitals in Anambra State Nigeria, using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Information obtained from the participants included the sociodemographics data, type and duration of practice, presence of any medical and/or ocular condition, family history of eye diseases, history of use of spectacles, practice of eye check and interval of eye check, factors affecting the practice of eye check, and ways of promoting regular eye check. Data obtained were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23. Statistical significance was set at p˂0.05. Results: One hundred and eighty-seven practicing medical doctors were interviewed. There were 123 (65.8%) males and 64 (34.2%) females. Their ages ranged from 24 to 80 years, with a mean age of 44.81 ± 12.73 years. The mean duration of professional practice was 18.16 ± 11.9 years. Majority, 124 (66.3%) works in government-owned hospitals. Among the study participants, 93(49.7%) doctors had been diagnosed with different ocular diseases; 99(52.9%) had a family history of ocular problems; 94(50.3%) had used prescription lenses; and 51(27.3%) had medical conditions. One hundred and twelve (59.9%) had undergone at least eye examinations once, of which 54(48.2%) had their last eye examination over 5 years ago. The prevalence of eye check was 59.9% (95%CI: 52.9 – 66.9%). Eye checks were significantly associated with medical practice of over 20 years (P=0.030), working in a private practice (P=0.001), having eye diseases such as cataract (P=0.006), refractive error (P˂0.001), presbyopia (P˂0.001), and use of prescription spectacles (P˂0.001). ‘Belief of not having eye problems’ and ‘No time’ which accounted for 58.7% and 24.0% respectively were the commonest reasons for not regularly having eye examinations. Conclusion: Poor attitude to periodic eye examinations was seen in medical doctors in south east Nigeria.

The aim of this research is to establish the challenges to health and safety compliance for construction projects in South East Nigeria. This study which is essentially survey based and empirical collected quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaire survey and field observations. The questionnaires were administered to indigenous construction firms and professionals in the construction projects in Abia, Anambra, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi States of the South East area of Nigeria which are the study population. The tools used for data analysis were Regression using Friedman Q Test Ranking and crosstab. The findings revealed that the challenges to health and safety compliance in South East Nigeria are bribery and corruption, ignorance of the benefits of compliance, lack of health and safety culture, perception of stakeholders, neglect of human rights and moral values, non-commitment of the major construction players, inadequate training of staff and lack of skilled health and safety personnel, non-inclusion of health and safety in contract document and tendering process and inadequate funding. This study concludes that the lack of awareness and understanding of health and safety significantly hinders compliance to health and safety. The study therefore recommends that using enforcement in form of incentives based approach will equally take care of the identified different challenges to Health and Safety Compliance in South East, Nigeria. Furthermore, the health and safety regulations should not be enforced only through inspections and sanctions, rather there should be economic incentives to encourage and motivate self- compliance.

Background: Radiological identification is important in clinical, surgical and forensic medicine particularly in the absence of comparative deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) samples and fingerprints. Aim is to establish the morphometry of frontal sinus (FS), maxillary sinus (MS) and bizygomatic distance (BZD) and their relationship with age and gender in Igbos and Ogonis of Nigeria using computed tomography (CT). Methods: Head CT scans of 625 subjects (477 Igbos and 148 Ogonis) between 18 and 85 years, showing normal FS, MS and BZD, were measured using DICOM viewer software. The Igbos and Ogonis were 247 males and 230 females; 84 males and 64 females respectively. The height, width and depth of the sinuses, intermaxillary sinus distances (IMD) and BZD were measured in centimeters (cm). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 and difference between groups was obtained using one way ANOVA. P-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Mean values for the right and left MS volume for the Igbos are 13.79 ±10.91 and 13.81±11.03 and for the Ogonis 20.84±5.83 and 20.19±5.59 cm respectively. All FS dimensions are higher in the Igbos (P0.05). In both groups, males had larger values in both FS depth, MS dimensions and BZD (P

Economic growth is a key point of macroeconomic policy and is the subject of constant attention and debate by professional public and policy makers. Theoretical and empirical research indicates differences in the level and direction of determinants’ influence on the growth rate. The main goal of our article is to construct a model of economic growth determinants in South-East European countries. We used an unbalanced panel of 12 selected SEE countries over the period 2006–2019. Our empirical findings have shown that the most robust results can be obtained using a two-step generalized method of moments (GMM) model with dummy variable. In our dynamic model, we found that trade openness and gross fixed capital formation have a positive impact on economic growth, while government expenditures negatively determine economic growth. Gross fixed capital formation has the greatest positive impact on economic growth, while government expenditure has the greatest negative impact.

2D Electrical Resistivity (ER) and Instantaneous Potential (IP) geophysical techniques were used at Eziama village in Abia state of Nigeria to investigate possible Pb-Zn mineralization. The dipole-dipole electrode configuration was employed for data acquisition and Earth Imager software was used for inversion of the acquired data. The analysis of the result of the study showed the presence of the Pb-Zn ore along traverses 1, 2 and 3 while traverses 4 and 5 appear barren. Along traverse 1, the mineralized zone falls within the fractured basement and is characterized by low resistivity (about 316 – 5623 ohm-m) and high chargeability (33.2 – 128 ns) at lateral distance of 73 – 103 m. On traverse two, the ore body was identified at lateral distance of about -18 to 53 m as delineated on the IP structure with resistivity and chargeability of the anomalous zone ranging from 4.6 – 677 ohm-m and 41.8 – 142 ns respectively at depth of about 21.4 m while on traverse three, two ore bodies labeled a, a’ and b, b’ on the ER and IP cross-sections were delineated at lateral distance of about -130 to -93 m and 78 to 98 m respectively with depth to the top of the suspected ore bodies ranging from about 7.1 m for body ‘a’ and about 14.3 m for ‘a’. Traverses four and five however showed no prospect for Pb-Zn mineralization. The result of this investigation has once again demonstrated the usefulness of combined electrical resistivity and induced polarization techniques in solid mineral exploration.