The National Open University of Nigeria is a federal open and distance learning (ODL) institution, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region.It is Nigeria's largest tertiary institution in terms of student number and is popularly referred to as 'NOUN'.
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) poses a significant public health challenge globally, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of residents in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) regarding HBV prevention and screening. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 401 residents of AMAC. Participants were systematically selected from households in urban and rural areas. Data were collected using a structured, closed-ended questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics and KAP regarding HBV. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using SPSS version 25. Results: Of the respondents, 51.6% were female and 48.4% were male, with the majority (60.1%) residing in urban areas. The overall knowledge rate was 56.6%, with notable gaps in understanding HBV transmission and prevention. Attitude toward HBV prevention was predominantly positive (68.1%), with strong support for vaccination and healthy practices. The practice rate was 66.4%, indicating good adherence to preventive measures such as vaccination and avoidance of risky behaviors. Significant positive correlations were observed among knowledge, attitude, and practice levels (knowledge-attitude: r = .656, p < .01; attitude-practice: r = .616, p < .01). Factors significantly associated with higher KAP scores included education level, marital status, and age. Conclusion: The findings reveal gaps in HBV-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Higher education and positive marital life experiences contribute to better awareness and proactive health behaviors. Public health interventions must address these disparities by promoting comprehensive education and tailored outreach to improve HBV prevention and screening outcomes.
Green chemistry is defined as a set of principles that reduce or prevent the use or generation of hazardous substances during the design, production, and utilization of chemical products. The vision of such a paradigm shift in the chemical sciences is that the concept of being green is directly introduced to the molecular design process and is centered on atom economy and the prevention of waste. This review examines the principles of green chemistry in relation to agro-industrial waste valorization, with specific reference to the ecological and economic conditions of India, where approximately 350 million metric tons of annual agro-residues have become a source of serious environmental management issues, such as greenhouse gas emissions through open burning, leachate waste generation through landfills, and effects on the health of the population through poor disposal practices. The analysis summarizes the latest developments in nanotechnology-based catalytic systems, new solvent platforms (ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, and supercritical fluids), and integrated biorefineries, and critically reviews the scalability limitations and commercial feasibility. It also discusses more recent developments, such as systems based on nanotechnology, catalyst transformations (homogeneous, heterogeneous, and biocatalysts), and the creation of alternative solvents, such as ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, and supercritical fluids. The virtues of agri-industrial residues and biomass-based feeds are given particular attention in terms of their role in models of the circular economy and the generation of value-added chemicals, fuels, and materials. By illustrating how green chemistry can minimize the environmental footprint of traditional processes and create safer and more economically viable alternatives, this review makes it clear why green chemistry has become a revolution in the field of industrial practice. Lastly, the paper addresses contemporary issues of scalability, economic competitiveness, and regulatory integration and outlines opportunities that will make green chemistry the foundation of sustainable, resource-efficient, and environmentally responsible chemical companies.
As GenAI tools become increasingly prevalent in educational settings, traditional Western ethical frameworks including deontological, consequentialist, and virtue ethics may prove insufficient to address the complex challenges that these technologies present, particularly in diverse cultural contexts. Our analysis shows that although Western ethical frameworks have increasingly aimed for integration, they still tend to prioritise individual autonomy and abstract reasoning. This focus may not fully address concerns such as cultural representation, linguistic dominance, and fair access to the benefits of technology. In contrast, Ubuntu ethics, which centres on communal relationships and the idea of “I am because we are,” offers valuable perspectives that can strengthen ethical approaches to AI (Mokoena in Verbum Ecclesia, 2024; Mugumbate and Chereni in Afr J Soc Work, 2020). Likewise, the Yoruba concept of Ọmọlúàbí provides a virtue-based framework that considers not only individual behaviour but also the moral role of the wider community. Through critical examination of empirical research documenting representational harms in AI systems and applications of Ubuntu in domains including health research and education, we synthesise Western and African ethical philosophies to identify transcultural ethical principles of relationality, community benefit and partnership, context sensitivity, virtue cultivation, rights and responsibilities, and desired outcomes. This demonstrates the potential for meaningful dialogue between ethical traditions, showing how African perspectives can enrich and extend Western approaches. The research advocates for a transcultural approach to GenAI ethics in education that balances both individual and communal values, while addressing real-world challenges such as algorithmic bias, language dominance, cultural misrepresentation, and fair access. We conclude that ongoing dialogue between Western and non-Western ethical traditions can support more inclusive and contextually aware applications of GenAI in higher education. This would help ensure that cultural diversity is respected, while also advancing shared ethical goals centred on human dignity and collective well-being.
The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) companions and social chatbots has reshaped human emotional landscapes, raising urgent questions about intimacy, ethics, and mental health in human-AI relationships. This AI-assisted systematic review synthesises 37 studies (2021–2025) to examine how AI mediates intimacy, balancing its potential to alleviate loneliness with risks of dependency and privacy violations. Guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, we identify four core themes: (1) emotional and social mechanisms, such as anthropomorphism and identity exploration; (2) dual psychological impacts, including reduced isolation versus over-reliance; (3) ethical dilemmas like data exploitation and algorithmic manipulation; and (4) cultural variation in adoption, such as therapeutic acceptance in East Asia compared to authenticity debates in Western contexts. Key findings reveal that AI companions, such as Replika, simulate trust and reciprocity through personalised interactions, yet users often grapple with authenticity dilemmas and emotional dissonance. Anchored in attachment theory and socio-affective frameworks, the analysis highlights emerging risks, such as AI-induced role-reversal and pseudo-intimacy, while underscoring design and policy imperatives. We propose actionable safeguards: transparency in AI’s emotional limitations, culturally nuanced regulations, and user-controlled ‘emotional break’ features to mitigate harm. By bridging interdisciplinary perspectives, this review advances a global roadmap for ethical AI design that prioritises human dignity alongside technological innovation.
A new symmetrical azine, 1,2-bis(1-(5-bromothiophen-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazine (5BEH), was synthesized via a simple ionic-liquid-assisted protocol and fully characterized using FT-IR, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic P21/c space group, and Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed that the Br & ctdot;H/H & ctdot;Br and S & ctdot;H/H & ctdot;S interactions dominated the supramolecular packing, supported by additional dispersion-driven H & ctdot;H contacts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6311++G(d,p) level reproduced the experimental geometry and vibrational features with high accuracy. Frontier molecular orbital and NBO analyses showed a moderately narrow HOMO-LUMO gap (3.58 eV), strong pi ->pi* and LP ->pi* charge-transfer pathways, and a bipolar electrostatic profile with electrophilic N-N/C=N regions and nucleophilic Br/S sites. Docking studies against meningitis-associated targets (4CVD and 4UMB) indicated that 5BEH binds more favourably than ceftriaxone, although with a weak absolute inhibitory affinity. ADME predictions further demonstrated good intestinal absorption, BBB penetration, low toxicity, and no hERG or carcinogenic risk, with CYP2D6 inhibition being a noted metabolic consideration. Overall, the structural, electronic, and in silico findings identify 5BEH as a stable, electronically versatile azine scaffold with in silico indicative potential for medicinal and materials-oriented applications.
