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Item An Assessment of the 'Safety' of Nigerian Women Journalists Online(Jos Journal of Media & CommunicaƟon Studies, 2015) Bulus Comfort; Obateru Taye C.Having a variety of online voices is good for democracy. The democratizing of information dissemination which the internet has brought, good as it is, continues to unveil some negative trends. Online bullying and threats are spreading and journalists are not spared. In Nigeria some women journalists have faced threats of rape; some have been attacked physically while others receive threatening graphic imagery in their inboxes or on social media platforms. Although this is evident for both genders, women appear to be more threatened. The harassment of women online is not a new concept, but in recent years it has become a cause for concern and has become a constraint for the freedom of expression for many women journalists. Nigeria, though a developing economy has seen a rapid rise in internet use. Although access to the world via the net is a good thing, there is a need to examine whether this freedom is being misused in Nigeria to stie the freedom of expression of women journalists. There is also a need to assess the level of awareness among women journalists in Nigeria, of digital threats/harassment, if there are institutions enabled to address any case that may arise and what coping strategies exist when cases arise. The Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) adapted for this study explains a process of threat and coping appraisal in which the behavioral options to diminish the threat are evaluated. The decisions that are made in a way of protecting oneself are how people respond to perceived threats. A quantitative survey of 29 members of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) was conducted. They were purposively selected to ll in the structured questionnaire. The data was presented and descriptively analyzed using tables and percentages. The data revealed an average awareness of digital harassments mostly from social media. The data also revealed different levels of exposure to threats online and a lack of protective policies for Nigeria's women journalists. The paper notes the virtual absence of machinery to check such threats and recommends the creation of policies to protect women journalists and empower Nigerian Journalists Internet Rights Initiative (NJRI) to enforce protection and forestall a deterioration of the trend.Item ASUU’s Prolonged Strike, a way forward for the Nigeria Academia; Strategic non-violent action(AIPGG Journal of Humanities and Peace Studies, 2022) Agberagba John TavershimaThe Nigerian Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on prolonged strikes from 1999-2022 demanding that the Federal Government (FG) fund public universities to be competitive and ranked among the world’s best universities. The strikes have yielded some infrastructural development, but have not raised Nigerian public universities to world standard. Thus, the continued struggle of ASUU with the FG. However, prolonged strikes contribute to low standards in public universities too: contracted school years, half-baked graduates, and extended course time by two or three years. It denies Nigerian graduates enough skills to make them competitive in the job market. Hence, a question about the justification for the use of prolonged strikes and a way forward for ASUU. This article employs a qualitative content analysis of a strategic nonviolent action case study of students in the Ethnic Albanian civil struggle in 2000 with that of ASUU. The sources are books, journals, newspaper articles, and internet databases. This article finds that ASUU needs to use massive strategic nonviolent actions to succeed. Additionally, it must rely less on traditional, religious, National Assembly of Nigeria members and other elite leaders. Rather, it must partner with students and their parents to succeed with massive actions. Public university students belong to the 133 million Nigerian families living in poverty. The students directly benefit from an international standard of public education in Nigeria. If ASUU adopts this new way, it will gain internal cooperation and solidarity; empower students and ordinary Nigerians with the knowledge of how to wage resistance against counterproductive policies of the Nigerian governmentItem The Effects of Cost on the Profitability of an Organization (A Case of Grand Cereals and Oil Mills Limited, Nigeria)(African Scholars Journal of Business Development and Management Research, 2022) Adamu, Daniel K.The topic of this research is'The effects of cost on the profitability of an organization': (a case of Grand Cereals and Oil Mills Limited, Nigeria). The purpose of this study was to discover the relationship between cost and profitability in an organization, to identify the role of proper costing in the growth of an organization, to also identify the challenges of cost and profitability in an organization and to determine ways of reducing cost and maximizing profits in an organization. The design of this study was a cross-sectional survey method. The instrument of data collection was the records of Grand Cereals and Oil Mills Limited and it was analyzed using the Simple correlation as well as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The result of this research shows that there is a negative correlation between cost of production and profitability of Grand Cereals and Oil Mills Limited, there is positive correlation between sales and profitability and there is also a negative correlation between VAT and profitability of an organization. However, for adequate profit to be recorded from a business there is a need for adequate control of cost because a company with adequate cost structure possesses the higher chance of attaining its profit target.Item Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Toxoplasma Gondii Infection among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, Nigeria(International Journal of Innovation Scientific Research and Review, 2021) DANUAN, M.B.; DAKUL, A.D.; ADELEKE, E.A.; LUMI, E.B; CHUNDUNG, N.DToxoplasmosis has been famously described as a cosmopolitan disease caused by the zoonotic parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii with the capacity to induce miscarriage and congenital defects during pregnancy. Despite its public health significance, there is a dearth of information about the epidemiology of the infection in pregnant women in Nigeria, consequently this study aimed to determine the burden and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in pregnant women attending Ante-Natal Clinic (ANC) at Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.3mls venous blood was collected from 268 pregnant women within the reproductive age groups of 15 to 50 years. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic and Toxoplasma infection risk related data. Sera were assayed using a commercial ELISA kit (Novo Tec Immunodiagnostica® Germany). 46 out of the 268 women were positive with an overall prevalence rate of 17.16%. The highest prevalence was recorded among women within the age group ≤20 years (28.00%), urban settlers (18.18%), women in their second trimester 18.75%, those who owned cats (25.00%) and those who have contacts with cat’s faeces (29.10`%). There was a significant association (p < 0.05) between the prevalence of T.gondiiantibodies (IgG) with age, ethnic group and blood transfusion history. While other factors show no significant relationship (p>0.05). Asymptomatic Toxoplasmosisis common amongst pregnant women thus it is imperative for policy makers and caregivers to consider introducing routine screening of toxoplasmosis especially as part of antenatal program for pregnant women.Item Parasitic Infection of Edible Terrestrial Gastropods in Benue and Plateau States, North-Central Nigeria(2022) Adeleke Ezekiel Abayomi; Otokpa Ocha JulietAn alternative to red meat due to cholesterol level has made large terrestrial snails a target. they could serve as a good replacement and source of protein but their mode of life especially feeding and locomotion makes them prone to parasitic infections. This study was aimed at investigating the parasitic infection of edible terrestrial snails in relation to specie in some parts of North-Central Nigeria. a total of 579 edible land snails were collected during the wet and dry seasons. Seven snail species belonging to three generals were identified. Out of the 579 collected snails, 447 (77.20%) were positive for parasitic infections. All infected snails showed multiple infections. Infection rates of 82.88%, 77.69%, 67.12% and 53.85% were recorded from Agila, Jos, Utonkon and Wadata respectively. However, no significant difference in snail infection in relation to location. (χ2= , p > 0.05). Parasitic infection of snail species revealed that A. fulica was most infected (90.10%), this was followed by L. flammea (79.31%), A. marginata (77.42%), A. saturalis (75.58%). L. aurora (74.73%), A. achatina (72.09%) and A. ovum (65.39%). No significant difference was observed amongst snail species infection (p > 0.05). S. stercoralis recorded 100% infection rate in all snails, A. cantonensis 76.73%, while Entamoeba sp. recorded the least (1.70%). Different parasites were also recovered from in the tissues/organs of the snails bserved. Public awareness on the public health implications of consuming terrestrial snails should be emphasized by public health workers especially when eaten raw or undercooked. Snail farms should be encouraged rather than consumption of snails gotten from the wild.Item Impact of prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole on malaria parasitaemia, PCV and CD4+ count in HIV-infected pregnant women in Jos, Nigeria(Trends in Medicine, 2017) Ali M..A.; Agbo E.B.; Suleiman M.M.; Oguche S.; Musa J.; Okojokwu O.J.; Anejo-Okopi J.A.; Lar P.M.The effect of prophylaxis with Cotrimoxazole (CTX) against malaria parasitaemia and other pregnancy outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant women in Jos was investigated. Peripheral blood from study women was used to prepare thin and thick blood smears for the identification and estimation of malaria parasitaemia as well as immunological and haematological investigations. Sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) was used as control, being the standard used for prophylaxis against malaria in pregnant women. Result shows that Prevalence of malaria infection was reduced from 34.1-7.2% and from 25-10% among group A and B respectively. Mean parasitaemia was reduced from 1984.76 asp/µ to 1000.00 asp/µl and from 1960.38 asp/µ to 1118.18 asp/µ for CTX an SP respectively. Mean packed cell volume (PCV) was reduced from 33.09-33.02% with CTX and from 33.11-32.90% with SP. Mean CD4+ count increased from 223.55 cells/µl to 300.54 cells/µl with CTX but decreased from 570 cells/µl to 536.4 cells/µl with SP. Prophylaxis with CTX is associated with 89% reduction in parasitaemia, with immunological but no haematological benefits, while prophylaxis with standard Sp is associated with 76% reduction in malaria parasitaemia with neither immunological nor haematological benefits. There was no statistical difference between the two drugs throughout the study. The use of cotrimoxazole for antimalarial prophylaxis among HIV-infected pregnant women is strongly supported but with close monitoring of their PCV so as to detect and treat any possible anaemia.Item Microbiological Quality of Pre-cut Fruits on Sale in Retail Outlets in Nigeria(African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2010-09-04) Chukwu C. O. C.; Chukwu I. D.; Onyimba I. A.; Umoh E. G.; Olarubofin F.; Olabode A. O.Microbiological quality of pre-cut fruits sold in retail outlets in Kano metropolis in Nigeria was evaluated. One hundred and fifty pre-cut fruit samples comprising pineapples (50), paw-paw (50) and watermelon (50) at the point of stand retail outlets were tested by standard microbiological methods to determine bacterial and parasite contamination. Out of these, 136 (90.67%) were contaminated with bacteria. Parasites were absent in all samples. The general distribution of the bacterial contaminations were; Escherichia coli 69 (46.00%), Staphylococcus aureus 29 (19.33%), Salmonella species 13 (8.67%), Proteus species 18 (12.00%), Enterobacter aerogenes 3 (2.00%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 2 (1.33%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 (1.33%). Among the 50 pineapple cuts - E. coli 26, S. aureus 6, Salmonella species 7, Proteus species 9, P. aeruginosa 2; the 50 watermelon had E. coli 22, S. aureus 13, Salmonella species 3, Proteus species 5, E. aerogenes 2 and K. species 2. From 50 paw-paw cuts E. coli 21, S. aureus 10, Salmonella species 3, Proteus species 4 and E. aerogenes 1 were isolated. These findings demonstrate that microbiological quality of pre-cut fruits sampled, suggest that the risk of foodborne illness from pre-cut fruits is high. There is a need to enforce good food hygiene practices to avoid contamination of pre-cut fruits.Item Bio-Ethanol Production from Banana, Plantain and Pineapple Peels by Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation Process(International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 2013-04) Itelima J.; Onwuliri F.; Onwuliri E.; Isaac Onyimba,; Oforji S.Most nations, whether economically advanced or at different stages of development are faced with the problem of disposal and treatment of wastes. Wastes could be treated in several ways (e.g. by reducing its bulk or by recovering and reprocessing it into useful substance) to meet sanitary standards. Ethanol fermented from renewable sources for fuel or fueladditives are known as bio-ethanol. In Nigeria, many food crops have been specifically grown for the production of bio-ethanol. However, bio-ethanol production from waste materials removed from fruits is very rare. In the present study, wastes from fruits such as banana, plantain and pineapple peels which are in abundance and do not interfere with food security were subjected to simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for 7days by co–culture of Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biomass yield, cell dry weight, reducing sugar concentration and the ethanol yield were determined at 24 hours interval. The results of the study showed that after 7 days of fermentation, pineapple peels had the highest biomass yield of 1.89 (OD), followed by banana peels 1.60 (OD), while plantain peels had the least 0.98 (OD). The reducing sugar concentrations ranged between 0.27 – 0.94 mg/cm3 for pineapple, 0.20 – 0.82 mg/cm3 for banana and 0.16 – 0.45 mg/cm3 The optimal ethanol yields were 8.34% v/v, 7.45 % v/v and 3.98 % v/v for pineapple, banana and plantain peels respectively. These indicate that pineapple and banana peels ethanol yields were significantly higher (P<0.05) than plantain peel ethanol yield. The findings of this study suggest that wastes from fruits that contain fermentable sugars can no longer be discarded into our environment, but should be converted to useful products like bio-ethanol that can serve as alternative energy source.Item Growth assessment and amylase production by Aspergillus niger and A. terreus isolated from soils of Artemisia annua l. Plantation(European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience, 2015) Abigail I. Ogbonna; Isaac A. Onyimba; Aleruchi Chuku; Patience O. Nwadiaro; Chike I. C. Ogbonna; Festus C. OnwuliriFungi associated with soils of decomposing Artemisia annua L. process waste in an A. annua Plantation were studied. Two of the isolates, A. niger and A. terreus which had high frequencies of occurrence were assessed for their growth rates over an incubation period of 168hrs using Czapek Dox and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar media. Their abilities to produce glucoamylase of biotechnological importance using submerged fermentation (SmF) were studied. The two isolates grown in basal medium containing starch as sole source of carbon and were harvested at 24 hour intervals over a period of 168hours. A. niger and A. terreus were found to have colony diameters of 5.2cm and 5cm after the 7th day of incubation. The highest glucoamylase potential at pH 5.03 was demonstrated by A. terreus, with peak enzyme activity of 0.375mmol-L while that of A. niger was 0.281mmol-L on the 6th day of incubation. These two fungal species could be useful in the degradation of biological wastes.Item OCCURRENCE OF POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FUNGI IN EXPOSED BREWERY SPENT SORGHUM GRAINS(European scientific journal, 2014-03) Isaac A. Onyimba; Chike I. C. Ogbonna; Chukwu, O. O. Chukwu; Collins C. E. OduSamples of environmentally exposed spent sorghum grains (SSG), commonly used as feedstuff in Nigeria, were obtained from the Jos International Brewery and screened for potentially harzardous fungi associated with them. A total of three samples, one per week, were used in the study. Truly colonizing fungi of the SSG were further determined by assessing the abilities of the fungal isolates to grow on specially formulated spent sorghum grain agar (SSGA). Fourteen fungal species belonging to nine genera were isolated from the SSG. Frequently occurring fungi included Aspergillus niger (89%), A. fumigatus (56%), A. flavus (78%), Rhizopus, oryzae (78%) and R. stolonifer (56%). The genus Aspergillus had the highest number of species (28.6%) among the isolates. The true fungal colonizers of SSG were found to include A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, Curvularia lunata, Geotrichum candidum, Humicola grisea, Penicillium sp, R. oryzae, R. stolonifer and Trichoderma harzianum. Among the fungal isolates were species that have been known to contain either pathogenic or toxigenic strains. The findings from the experiments showed that exposed SSG can be colonized by potentially hazardous fungi and as such, caution should be exercised in its use as a feedstuff.