2025

Transhumanism is a philosophical movement that supports the use of modern technology to enhance human development and overcome limitations. Max More is a leading transhumanist philosopher who has made significant contributions to the field. The objective of this project is to evaluate transhumanism in the philosophy of Max More. Focusing on his extropian principles, the project examines how his vision of transcending biological limits via technologies like cryonics, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence influences contemporary thought. Using the method of philosophical analysis, hermeneutic interpretation & conceptual clarification, the study analyzes More’s foundational ideas, including perpetual progress and morphological freedom, which advocate individual choice in self-transformation. This project investigates the ethical, technological, and social implications of Max More's philosophy, such as issues of access, safety, and societal pressures, alongside criticisms highlighting its over- optimism, libertarian bias, and speculative nature. This project also assesses Max More’s 21 st-century legacy, noting his impact on biotechnology, philosophy, and cultural movements like transhumanism advocacy. While More’s vision inspires innovation and personal empowerment, it faces challenges in ensuring equitable access, addressing safety risks, and embracing cultural diversity. This project underscores the transformative potential of transhumanism while advocating a balanced approach to ensure its benefits reach all of humanity, contributing to ongoing debates about technology’s role in our collective future..

Alcohol (ethanol) is a widely consumed psychoactive substance known to induce oxidative stress and gastrointestinal mucosal damage, particularly in the stomach. Chronic alcohol exposure generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disrupts mucosal integrity. M melatonin on alcohol-induced gastric toxicity in adult male Wistar rats. Forty adult male Wistar rats (150–180 g) were randomly divided into four groups (n=10): control, melatonin only (5 mg/kg), alcohol only and melatonin plus alcohol. All treatments were administered orally via gavage for 28 days. After the exposure period, a weight test was done, and gastric tissues were harvested for histopathological analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with significance set at p<0.05. Alcohol induced ulceration in the mucosa of the stomach, and the ulcer induced was irregularly -shaped. The control group showed a normal gastric architecture, while the group given alcohol only exhibited disruption of the muscularis mucosa with the formation of a irregular-shaped ulcer. The group given alcohol and melatonin showed that melatonin attenuated the ulcerative lesion in the stomach, indicating that melatonin effectively resolved alcohol-induced gastric injury.

Small-scale businesses have become major drivers of socio-economic change in developing societies of the world, but especially so in Nigeria, where they account for over 90% of businesses in the country and employ a significant part of the labor market. This research explored the role of small- scale businesses as contributors to economic development in Edo State, Nigeria. The objectives were to evaluate how small businesses contribute to employment generation, income generation, industrial development, and economic growth in Edo State. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and data from 347 respondents made up of owners and managers of small-scale businesses across the three senatorial districts of Edo State were collected. Questionnaires' structured format was used to collect data, while descriptive statistics, frequency counts, percentages, and mean scores were employed as tools of data analysis.

The findings of the research confirmed a significant contribution of small-scale businesses to employment generation jobs, which were for skilled and unskilled laborers; thus, a reduction was achieved in the number of unemployed people in the state. The research also revealed that small businesses have significantly enhanced income generation leading to improved standards of living and promoted industrial dependent linkages through adding value and the use of local raw materials, but challenges such as inadequate access to finance, multiple taxation, poor infrastructure, and inconsistent government policies have negatively contributed to optimal performance. In addition, the research showed that government support such as training programs, access to loans, and tax incentives has a positive but limited impact on business sustainability

Background: Sports injuries were a major concern among amateur footballers, often leading to reduced performance, loss of participation time, and long-term complications. Effective injury prevention depended largely on athletes’ knowledge and attitudes toward preventive measures. However, limited research existed on these variables among amateur footballers in Nigerian universities, particularly within the University of Benin (UNIBEN). Aim: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitudes towards injury prevention among amateur footballers in the Faculty of Basic Medical Science, University of Benin. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed involving 92 male and female amateur footballers aged 18 years and above from the Faculty of Basic Medical Science, UNIBEN. Participants were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using an adapted self-administered questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes towards injury prevention. Descriptive statistics summarized participants’ characteristics, while Chi-square tests and independent t-tests determined associations between sociodemographic variables, knowledge, and attitude levels at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Participants were predominantly male (63%) and aged 18–25 years (78.3%). The majority (58.7%) demonstrated fair knowledge of injury prevention, while 28.3% had good knowledge and 13.0% had poor knowledge. Most participants (71.7%) displayed positive attitudes towards injury prevention. There was no significant association between gender, department, or BMI and knowledge or attitude levels (p > 0.05), but years of experience showed a weak positive relationship with knowledge scores. Conclusion: Amateur footballers in UNIBEN generally exhibited fair knowledge and positive attitudes towards injury prevention, although certain misconceptions persisted. Targeted educational interventions and physiotherapist-led prevention programs are recommended to enhance injury prevention awareness and promote safer sporting practices among university footballers.

Background: It seeks to identify the current level of understanding, perceptions, and actual documentation behaviors among these professionals. The research aims to highlight areas for improvement in documentation quality, which is crucial for effective patient care, legal compliance, and interdisciplinary communication about the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Physiotherapists concerning clinical documentation within the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices, that regards about clinical documentation in University of Benin Teaching Hospital, with a focus on understanding how these factors influence the quality of patient care, compliance with legal and professional standards, and overall effectiveness of treatment outcomes. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design. It will be aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) of 45 physiotherapists regarding clinical documentation at the
University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). Data will be collected over a period of two
weeks. Questionnaires will be distributed physically to eligible participants in each Unit. Respondents will be given time to fill out the questionnaire at their convenience and return it within three day. Data will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard
deviations will be used to summarize data. Inferential statistics such as chi-square tests will be used to explore relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and practice. Results: The study analyzed data from 45 fully completed questionnaires administered to full￾time registered Physiotherapists at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). The iv respondents were a largely youthful group, with most aged 28–33 years (33.3%) and having 1–5 years of work experience (37.8%). A majority (68.9%) held a BSc/BMR in Physiotherapy. Conclusion: Physiotherapists at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital possess a moderate level of knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices regarding clinical documentation.[1] While general awareness is present, specific areas for improvement in documentation practices were identified, suggesting a need for targeted educational interventions to enhance the quality and completeness of clinical records.

This study examined the influence of teacher attributes — specifically teachers’ academic qualification, years of teaching experience, and teaching style — on secondary school students’ academic achievement in Biology within Egor Local Government Area (LGA), Edo State. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory, the correlational study used a structured questionnaire (TASAABQ) validated by faculty experts and pilot-tested (Cronbach’s α = .812) to collect data from 200 senior secondary students (SS2 & SS3) drawn from five public secondary schools in Egor LGA. Demographic and Likert-type responses were analysed using descriptive statistics (means, SD, percentages), Pearson correlation, independent- samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA to test hypotheses about relationships between teacher attributes and student achievement. Results showed statistically significant positive relationships between teacher qualification and student achievement, teacher experience and student achievement, and between student-centred teaching styles and achievement. Effect sizes indicated practical importance: teacher qualification and experience jointly explained a substantial portion of variance in students’ Biology scores. The study concludes that improving teacher professional qualifications, retaining experienced teachers, and promoting interactive, student-centered biology pedagogy are critical to raising students’ achievement. Recommendations for teachers, school administrators and policymakers are provided, along with suggestions for further research and acknowledged limitations. (Keywords: teacher qualification, teaching experience, teaching style, Biology achievement, Egor LGA).

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of trematode parasite infection in Pila ovata from Iguobo community, Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State, Nigeria. The snail specimens were collected by hand picking from water puddles within farmlands in Iguobo Community in July, 2025. Sixty-six snails species Pila ovata, belonging to the Family Ampullariidae, were examined and only one was found to be infected with trematode larval stages with an overall prevalence of 1.52%. The larval stages of trematodes recovered from the infected snail include rediae, cercariae, metacercariae, and a juvenile trematode. Two types of cercariae were identified namely, gymnocephalous and cercariaeum cercariae. The low prevalence of trematode infection recorded in this study could be attributed to minimal anthropogenic activities in the study area, which likely reduced water contamination. It could also be due to the short period of survey and timing. The study was conducted during wet season; which probably reduced the infection rate due to dilution factor. Although, Pila ovata showed low prevalence of trematode infection in this study, it however, exhibited high parasite diversity due to the presence of different larval stages and trematode recovered from the infected snail. This study reports Cercariaeum and gymnocephalous cercariae in P. ovata from Nigeria for the first time. Further investigation should be conducted on Pila ovata to ascertain the species status of trematode cercariae infecting this snail.

This study evaluated the phytochemical and physicochemical properties of raw wheat grains (Triticum aestivum L.) sourced from Warri, Delta State, to provide region-specific data on its nutritional and functional potential. Although wheat is a globally important staple, localized compositional data for Southern Nigeria are limited; this research addresses that gap by characterizing bioactive constituents, proximate composition, mineral content, and vitamin C level in locally obtained grain. The objectives were to qualitatively screen for major phytochemicals, determine proximate composition (moisture, ash, crude fat, crude fibre, crude protein, carbohydrate), quantify selected minerals (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn), and measure vitamin C content. Standard laboratory protocols were used: reagent-based qualitative assays for phytochemicals (e.g., Wagner’s, Salkowski, ferric chloride, Fehling’s tests), AOAC procedures for proximate analysis, atomic absorption spectrophotometry for mineral quantification following acid digestion, and a titrimetric method for vitamin C. Key findings show the presence of glycosides, saponins, alkaloids, phenolics, terpenoids, flavonoids, and reducing sugars, while tannins and steroids were absent. Proximate values were: moisture 12.78%, ash 2.15%, crude fat 1.92%, crude fibre 2.39%, crude protein 10.81%, and carbohydrate 69.95%. Mineral concentrations (mg/kg) were: K 3650, Mg 1635.5, Ca 272, Fe 67, Zn 28.51, and Na 62.86. Vitamin C was low (mean 0.260 ± 0.01 mg/100 g). These results indicate that the wheat sample is energy-dense, storage-stable (moisture <14%), and rich in bioactive phenolics and flavonoids that confer antioxidant and potential cardioprotective benefits. The absence of tannins suggests reduced antinutritional effects, although mineral bioavailability may still be influenced by other factors (e.g., phytates). Implications include supporting promotion of whole-wheat consumption to maximize intake of fibre, minerals, and phytochemicals, and recommending dietary complementation with vitamin C–rich foods to improve micronutrient utilization. The study provides data for Warri-sourced wheat and underscores the need for quantitative phytochemical assays, bioavailability studies post-processing, and region-wide comparisons or biofortification efforts.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of consumer perception on brand preference in Nigeria’s clothing industry. The specific objectives were to determine the relationship among product quality, branding strategies, emotional connection, social influence and cultural on brand preference in Nigeria’s clothing industry. The study adopted the survey research design; data was collected through the aid of a questionnaire. The finding shows that product quality, emotional connection and cultural relevance have significantly positive effects on branding preference in Nigeria’s clothing industry, However, branding strategies and social influence were found to have no significant effect on brand preference in Nigeria’s clothing industry. The questionnaire was structured according to the research questions and distributed to a sample population of four hundred (400) respondents. Descriptive statistics technique was used to analyze the quantitative data, coding was done in the Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS20) and the output was interpreted in mean scores and standard deviation. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to estimate the relationship among variables. The study recommends that clothing manufacturers should prioritize high quality materials, they should re-evaluate their promotional strategies to make them more engaging and credible, Brand managers should develop campaigns that foster emotional attachment, clothing brands should focus more on genuine customer advocacy and integrate Nigeria cultural motifs into their designs.

Introduction: There is growing concern over the impact that social media use by university students could have on their academic performance due to its effect on sleep. The study assessed the influence of social media use, sleep quality and academic performance of students of the School of Basic Medical Sciences of the University of Benin. Methods: A descriptive survey research design was utilized in the study. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted for selecting 344 undergraduates. The data collection instrument included a structured questionnaire, which contained SMUS, PSQI and academic performance measure (CGPA). Descriptive analysis of participants' profile was undertaken using simple statistics and Pearson correlation was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. Results: Amongst all the respondents, 60.5% were female. The average SMUS was 10.09 ± 1.72, implying high levels of social media engagement, while the mean PSQI score was 7.73 ± 4.14, depicting fair to poor sleep quality. With respect to academic performance, 55.8% of the respondents scored between 3.50 and 4.49 CGPA. A strong negative correlation between social media usage and academic performance (r = -0.244, p < 0.001) was found. There was, however, no significant association between social media usage and sleep quality (p = 0.813) nor between sleep quality and academic performance (p = 0.391). Conclusion: This study reveals that social media usage adversely impacts academic performance, and sleep quality does not act as a mediator in this relationship. The students are advised to adopt healthy social media practices and concentrate on academics. The institution should consider raising awareness about this issue through appropriate digital literacy programs. iv Keywords: Social media usage, sleep quality, academic performance, undergraduates, Basic Medical Sciences, University of Benin.