Issues on the Gagging of Nigerian Press with Obnoxious Laws

This study examined the issues on the gagging of Nigerian press with obnoxious laws and it investigated the rate at which the Nigerian media had been prevented from expressing opinion freely by dictatorial leaders who enacted draconian laws to suppress facts and figures. Also, the study identified the major activities of Nigerian press in fighting authoritarianism and in upholding the philosophy of rationalism and natural rights and in checking the excesses of government in power by separating judgements of truth from falsity. Data were sourced through the secondary means and information was obtained from the contents of books, journals, magazines, newspapers and the Internet. It was established that the Nigerian press has been so uncompromising and very zealous in exposing the evils perpetrated by people in power and that the military leadership in Nigeria had engaged several state apparatus in suppressing the truth. The conclusion is that the past governments in Nigeria had used their privileged position to forbid criticism and they had invoked absolutism under extreme conditions. The recommendation is that the incumbent government should eschew autocracy and avoid exploiting the obnoxious laws enacted by the military ‘boys’ in the guise of providing security for the state.Key words: Nigerian press, Obnoxious decrees, Dictatorial leaders, Draconian laws, Incumbent governmen

The Tradition of Marketing Nigeria Politicians through Visual Media

Before Nigerian independence in 1960, all political campaigns and debates were limited by the colonial masters to outdoor rallies, soap box speeches, but sometimes there were press editorial efforts in the tabloids and  broadsheets; the broadcast media were, however, not allowed for political marketing. By 1963, after independence, all media of communication were systematically introduced during rallies to send campaign messages to the electorate. This study focuses on the visual media used during political  campaigns in Nigeria since the year 1963. Data for the study were collected from secondary sources such as books, journals, newspapers, magazines and the internet. Replicable and valid inferences were made before  synthesizing and analyzing the contents of these materials, using  descriptive method. It is discovered that the visual media used by visual  artists in marketing politicians through advertising agencies are signage  that include theme/above-the-line media (print and electronic-television), scheme/below-the-line media (posters, leaflets, stickers and calendars,  among others), outdoor/transit media (transportation/vehicle branding and billboard advertising) and ephemeral media (body painting, callisthenic  display and sky writing). The researcher concludes that the visual concepts adopted by visual artists to market Nigerian politicians have successfully  educated the entire citizenry on the democratic process. This is the only  area in which they have contributed their quota to building a politically  stable country with a good creative tradition. Key words: Political campaigns, Political marketing, Campaign messages, Visual artists, Nigerian politician

Insurance Policy Terms - A Comparative Study of Nigerian, Australian and the Uk Laws

This paper attempts to examine the notions and workings of conditions and warranties in threedistinct jurisdictions – Nigeria, Australia and the UK with a view to suggesting policy correctionsand legal amendments for Nigeria’s developing insurance practice. It is discovered that there is anagging dearth of literature appraising the significance of insurance policy terms in Nigeriaagainst the backdrop of other jurisdictions to enhance the Nigerian circumstance. Filling this gapin knowledge is what this literature has made the theme of its study – critiquing the deficienciesthat the regulatory and legal provisions for Nigerian insurance practice bears for policy terms visà-vis those of advanced legal systems such as Australia and the UK. Insurance policy terms inacademic and research circles are not discussed about enough, hence this research work. Giventhe monstrous impact that misplacing terms of insurance policy can bear for parties to thecontract, it thus becomes a significant issue for discourse. Adopting a qualitative approach ofresearch methodology, this paper uses books and rated journal articles in the process to achievethe results it sought to. While it is pointed out that these countries enjoy marked similarity in theirinsurance laws owing to their roots with the King’s Law, it is also noted how they each differespecially in terms of their advancement and equitable approach. Critiquing the defects present inthe common law perception of insurance policy, this seminar paper appraises what these legalsystems have done about improving their insurance laws in that respect. Thereafter,recommendations are made to push for better conditions for the operations of the terms ofinsurance contract especially as Nigerian insurance laws are affected.&nbsp

Repeatability of an Integrative Method to Assess Knee Joint Mechanics and Cartilage Health under Load

An integrative and repeatable method that assesses quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI), mechanical measures by MRI (mechMRI) and gait (kinetics and kinematics) parameters is needed to better understand the mechanics of ACL-injury which is an early model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. In developing a method that can be used, this research sought to answer three major questions: 1) What is the repeatability of the qMRI, mechMRI and gait analysis measures in healthy individuals? 2) What is the repeatability of the kinematic and kinetic outcomes using a MRI-based anatomical system and a standard gait coordinate system? 3) Is there a link between contact area and qMRI T2 relaxation times in cartilage? Addressing the above research questions involved primarily assessing the repeatability of each measure, expressed as the root-mean squared standard deviation (SDrms), as well as evaluating novel measures to determine the link between the different metrics. A MRI-safe loading rig was designed to simulate loading at the knee joint during MRI scanning as well as MRI-lucent gait markers to create a common coordinate system between the MRI and gait systems. Data was collected three times within a week for five healthy participants for this repeatability study. At the gait lab, participants carried out five motion tasks including walking, stair ascent, descent and chair rise and sit. With the MRI-lucent gait markers still at the same position, qMRI T2 relaxation time and anatomical MRI scans were carried out. The scans were acquired while the knee was unloaded and fully extended as well as loaded in two flexed positions. The repeatability results showed a link between qMRI T2 relaxation times and contact areas with low-SDrms measures in some qMRI-contact integration metrics and coordinate methods of processing dynamic data. qMRI-contact integration metrics were found to have smaller SDrms values for loaded cartilage in the lateral region (Average SDrms: 2.2 ms). Walk peak abduction angle had the smallest SDrms value for kinematics (0.8 degrees) and walk peak flexion moment for the kinetic measures (0.04 N.m/kg). Between dynamic data processed with MRI-based anatomical coordinates and standard gait coordinates systems, functional-based was generally found to have the smaller SDrms values. MRI-based processed data showed smaller SDrms values in kinetic outcome measures compared to that acquired from the standard gait coordinate system. In conclusion, there are indeed measures across the three different metrics that have smaller SDrms values and therefore may be better suited for use in the study of the ACL-injured population. From the findings of this study, we recommend particular attention be paid to lateral and loaded cartilage conditions for contact mechanics and qMRI T2 evaluation, and that knee kinematics and kinetics be evaluated with standard gait coordinate system, for the study of healthy and ACL-injured individuals

Analysis of misconceptions in chemical equilibrium among senior secondary school students in Ilesa Metropolis in Osun State, Niger

Physical chemistry has been an aspect of chemistry which students find difficult at the secondary and tertiary levels of education. In the past, the effort of researchers has been focused on the research that will identify various causal factors which can be attributed to the performance of the learners in this aspect of chemistry. Also, very few experimental studies, has been carried out to improve students’ performance. In order to find the right bases for all research that will improve students’ achievement, there is a need to profile the misconceptions in the aspect of physical chemistry which is chemical equilibrium. The purpose of this study is to determine students’ misconceptions regarding the concepts of chemical equilibrium. To diagnose students' misconceptions in this area, a two-tier multiple-choice question on chemical equilibrium test was administered to 300 high school students in Ilesa Metropolis of Osun- state, Nigeria. Descriptive analysis was used in analyzing the data, students’ responses in a Chemical Equilibrium Misconception Test (CEMT) were categorized. The results revealed widespread misconceptions among students in the areas related to (1) equilibrium constant (2) heterogeneous Equilibrium (3) Approach to chemical equilibrium, (4) Application of Le-Chatelier Principle and (5) adding a catalyst

Anterior Abdominal Wall Desmoids Tumor in a Five Year Old Girl – A Pre Operative Diagnostic Challenge in Resource-Poor Setting

Desmoid tumors are rare, slow – growing, mesenchymal monoclinic proliferation. It may occur as intra-abdominal tumor usually affecting the mesentery of the intestine or it could be extra-abdominal in which they may affect the popliteal region, the chest wall or the anterior abdominal wall. Reports in children less than 10 years is rare. Here, we report a 5 year old girl with anterior abdominal wall desmoid that was managed in our unit and challenges at reaching a diagnosis are highlighted. Index Word: Desmoid tumor, Diagnosis, Pediatric age groups

Optimal Control of Beer Fermentation Process Using Differential Transform Method

In this paper, the mathematical model of batch fermentation process of ethanol was formulated. The method of differential transform was used to obtain the solution governing the fermentation process; the system of equation was transformed using the differential transform method. The result obtained from the model was observed to show that temperature plays an important role in the fermentation of ethanol, with an increase in temperature the production of ethanol tends to decreases while with a low temperature the production of ethanol increases. Keyword: Optimal Ethanol, Fermentation, Substrate, Diacetyl, Inoculu

Double-site antegrade and retrograde idiopathic intussusception in an infant: a case report and review of literature

Intussusception is a very common surgical problem in infants. Double intussusception, however, is very rare in children. The authors report the successful management of a case of double-site antegrade and retrograde idiopathic intussusception in an 11-month-old boy.Keywords: antegrade, double-site intussusception, idiopathic, retrograd

The Undescended Testes in Children: a Prospective Epidemiological Study

Background: The management of undescended testes remains a topical issue. This study was aimed at determinining the presentation and outcome of children presenting with undescended testes at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study that included all male children aged 1-15 years with undescended testes who were treated by the paediatric surgery unit in LUTH from January 2010 to December 2011Results: A total of 56 boys with 73 undesecended testes were surgically treated during the study period. The median age at operation was 3.0 years (range: 1 to 11years). Seventeen (30.4%) boys had bilateral undescended testes while 39 (69.6%) boys had unilateral undescended testes . Associated anomalies were present in 6 (10.7%) boys- hypospadias in 5 (8.9%) boys and vertebral anomaly in 1 (1.8%) boy.. Open orchidopexy was performed in 59 (80.8%) cases while stagedorchidopexy was done in 11 (15.1%) cases. There were 4 (5.4%) post operative complications -3 cases of postoperative hematoma and 1 case of wound dehiscence.Conclusion: Children with undescended testes present late in Lagos. About a third of patients with undesended testes in our centre have bilateral undescended testes while about 10% have associated congenital anomalies.Key words: Undescended, Testis, Children, Epideniolog

A sensitivity analysis of a gonorrhoea dynamics and control model

We formulate and analyse a robust mathematical model of the dynamics of gonorrhoea incorporating passive immunity and control. Our results show that the disease-free and endemic equilibria of the model are both locally and globally asymptotically stable. A sensitivity analysis of the model shows that the dynamics of the model is variable and dependent on waning rate, control parameters and interaction of the latent and infected classes. In particular, the lower the waning rate, the more the exponential decrease in the passive immunity but the susceptible population increases to the equilibrium and wanes asymptotically due to the presence of the control parameters and restricted interaction of the latent and infected classes.Comment: Journal of Mathematical and Computational Science, 202