Rhema University

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of cooking methods on the chemical composition and bioavailability of minerals in Plectranthus esculentus tubers. Analysis of the chemical composition and bioavailability of minerals in Plectranthus esculentus tubers was performed using standard protocols. Boiling increased the moisture and decreased the total protein, total amino acids and some minerals but did not affect the ash, crude fibre, fat, total carbohydrates, energy value, phytates, tannins, oxalates, trypsin inhibitor, saponin, Pb, Cd, Ar, Mg, Ni, Mo, Al, vanadium, Be and Au; frying increased the total fat content; decreased the total proteins, amino acids and some minerals; and depleted Be but did not affect the moisture, ash, crude fibre, carbohydrates, energy value, phytates, tannins, oxalates, trypsin inhibitor, saponin, Pb, Cd, As, Ni, Mo, Al, vanadium and, Au; roasting decreased the total protein, total amino acids and some minerals; depleted Pb, Ni and Be but did not affect the moisture, ash, crude fibre, fat, total carbohydrates, energy value, phytates, tannins, oxalates, trypsin inhibitor, saponin, Cd, As, Mo, Al, vanadium and Au contents of the tuber compared to the raw tubers. Raw and processed Plectranthus esculentus tubers were good sources of some important nutrients, phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Boiling retained the nutrients and polyphenol compounds in the tubers better than frying or roasting. A bioavailability study showed that the phytates and oxalates in the tuber may not affect the bioavailabilities of calcium, zinc or iron in it when eaten. Consumption of raw and processed Plectranthus esculentus tubers could be relevant in curbing nutrient deficiency for people in tropical regions where this tuber is eaten as food. For the purpose of processing, boiling may be more useful than frying or roasting, for utilization of the nutrient and bioactive compounds of this tuber.

The study examined the effect of corporate social responsibility on the performance of not-for-profit organizations in Abia State. However, little rigorous academic research has assessed CSR in the non-profit sector, particularly within Abia State—a region with numerous grassroots organizations addressing poverty reduction, community development, health and education. Using a mixed-methods design involving surveys of NGO managers and performance metrics, this study investigates how CSR activities- skill acquisition, healthcare and environmental friendliness influence operational effectiveness and corporate expansion of not-for-profit organizations in Abia state. The population of the study comprised of two hundred and seventy-four (274) management staff of Unubiko Foundation, Erinma Oke Foundation and Marjorie Bash Foundation in Abia State, Descriptive statistics (simple percentages, mean, and frequency) and inferential tool (simple linear regression model) were used to analyze the stated hypotheses. Based on the analysis of data, the following findings emerged: skill acquisition has significant effect on the corporate expansion of the not-for-profit organizations in Abia State, health care has no significant effect on corporate expansion of not-for-profit organizations in Abia State and environmental friendliness has positive and significant effect on corporate expansion of not-for-profit organizations in Abia State. In conclusion, there is significant positive relationship between corporate social responsibility and performance of not-for-profit organizations in Abia State. We recommended, therefore, that not-for-profit organizations in Abia State should prioritize and expand skill acquisition programs as a core part of their community engagement strategies, among others

Air pollution is a major life-threatening problem in industrialized and commercially vibrant cities like Aba metropolis and its suburbs in Abia State Nigeria. The study of selected air pollutants in these areas were performed using Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) pollution models. Primary data was collected by conducting sampling analysis on air samples during dry and rainy seasons from 2024 and 2025. MATLAB and ANN pollution models were generated by integrating measurements and spatial databases using polynomial expressions. The MATLAB 7th degree linear regression polynomial described the relationship between dependent and independent variables for the pollutants. The correlation methods verified that most MATLAB models could accurately predict or forecast concentration levels. Also the Artificial Neural Network demonstrated tracking of the actual plots on MATLAB. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also deployed which showed p < 0.05 for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and total particulate matter (TPM), indicating that, there was a significant impact by the seasons on the concentrations of all gaseous pollutants under study(i.e. seasonal variations of concentration was highly affected by the two seasons). ANN was able to track all gaseous pollutants represented by MATLAB successfully above 50%.

This paper analyzed the effect of monetary policy on the development of Nigeria's industrial sector using the Vector Error Correction Mechanism. The research used monetary policy rate, liquidity ratio, Treasury bill rate, money supply, and exchange rate as explanatory variables, while industrial development was represented by the value added of the industrial sector to the gross domestic product. To establish the existence of a cointegrating relationship in the model, a Johansen approach was adopted, which resulted in the use of the Vector Error Correction Model for estimation to ensure a parsimonious model. The results of the research revealed that the monetary policy rate has a significant negative effect on industrial development in both the short and long run, while the liquidity ratio had a significant positive effect on industrial development in both the long and short run. The Treasury bill rate had a significant positive long-run effect on industrial development. Money supply had a significant negative effect on industrial development in the long run. The exchange rate was found to have affected industrial development in both the short and long run in Nigeria. Based on the research, the study recommends that monetary policies be leveraged to enhance a favorable investment environment by promoting the emergence of market-based interest and exchange rate regimes, which will attract both domestic and foreign investments to Nigeria's industrial sector in the future.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections, caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, are a major health concern among children under 12 years, leading to conditions such as tonsillitis, rheumatic fever, and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment and prevention. This study aimed to develop and validate a Clinical Prediction Rule (CPR) for predicting the presence of S. pyogenes in throat swabs from children under 12. We analyzed clinical and laboratory data from 1,015 pediatric patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of GAS infection at Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri, Imo State, between January 2019 and December 2022. S. pyogenes was first isolated from throat swabs cultured on blood agar, and 233 positive isolates were further identified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeting the Spy 1258 gene, with DNA extracted via boiling and confirmed through phenotypic methods. Data from these 233 identified cases were used to develop and validate the CPR. Variables examined included gender, age, ward of admission, clinical diagnosis, and antibiotic susceptibility. Logistic regression modeling identified significant predictors of S. pyogenes presence, with potential biases minimized through systematic case review, standardized data extraction and cross-checking by multiple reviewers. Among the 233 cases analyzed, the mean age was 4 ± 0.25 years, with 62.7% under age 3. Tonsillitis was the predominant diagnosis, with GAS prevalence ranging from 56.7% to 69.3%. Antibiotic susceptibility test result varied, with significant predictors including Sepsis/Tonsillitis and ear discharge/tonsillitis (p < 0.001). The CPR model demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.4% and a specificity of 36.8%, highlighting its potential to enhance clinical diagnosis and management of GAS infections. This study offers valuable insights into predictors of S. pyogenes infection in pediatric patients and highlights the CPR’s potential for improving clinical diagnosis and management.

Introduction: Histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) antigen kits are widely used for malaria diagnosis in tropical regions due to their heat stability. The Plasmodium Lactate Dehydrogenase (pLDH) used in BIOCREDIT® malaria test kit is claimed to be heat-stable. This study aimed to evaluate the heat stability and field performance of three BIOCREDIT® kits. Methodology: A cross-sectional community survey of malaria infection was carried out in Agbowa and Ikosi communities in Lagos State. Finger-prick blood was used to assess the performance of three BIOCREDIT® kits: Kit 1 (PfpLDH), Kit 2 (PfLDH/HRP2), and Kit 3 (PfLDH/PvLDH). Malaria microscopy and a reference mRDT (SD BIOLINE® PfHRP2) were used as comparators. Heat stability testing was performed using Plasmodium falciparum panels after exposure to 35oC and 45oC for 60 days. A total of 834 participants were recruited. Results: The sensitivity of BIOCREDIT® kits were: Kit 1 (PfLDH) 88.4%; Kit 2 PfHRP2 92% and PfLDH 86.6%; Kit 3 (PfLDH) 88.4%. The specificity of kits was: Kit 1 (Pf LDH) 91.7%; Kit 2 (PfHRP2) 82.3%) and (PfLDH) 92.1%; Kit 3 (PfLDH) 91.6%. The sensitivity and specificity of the reference kit were 92.9% and 85.9%. The three BIOCREDIT® Kits were stable. No potential case of pfhrp2 gene deletion was observed. Conclusions: The sensitivities of the three BIOCREDIT® malaria test kits were similar to the reference kit (SD BIOLINE mRDT). However, the specificities of PfLDH kits were significantly higher than the specificities of PfHRP2 kits. The BIOCREDIT® kits are suitable to be deployed in malaria-endemic tropical regions.

This study explores the heterogeneous influence of capital flight and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on domestic investment in Nigeria. The study utilizes the novel quantile-based nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (QNARDL) estimation procedure to estimate both the sign-based and the size-based asymmetric influence of capital flight and EPU on domestic investment. The investigation’s outcomes are as follows: First, capital flight influences domestic investment negatively, predominantly in the upper quantiles. Second, it demonstrates that country-specific EPU and its global-based variant significantly negatively affect a country’s investment. Third, the study finds that domestic and world policy uncertainty aggravates the suppressing effect of capital flight on domestic investment. Fourth, a robust unidirectional causality from EPU (indigenous and world) to capital flight implies that policy uncertainty enervates the business climate and creates fear of losses among investors, affecting investment negatively. Fifth, the study indicates an increasing rate of devastating influence of EPU on domestic investment, with more pernicious effects at the upper quantile. The implication is that the devastating effect of EPU (whether country-based or world-based) on domestic investment is highly sensitive to its size. The policy recommendations from the main discoveries have been suggested.