The effect of Being overweight or underweight on ovulation

It's no surprise to anyone in Nigeria , U.S. and in the world at large that many of us struggle to maintain a healthy weight, especially as we get older. But let's put aside the social and cultural issues. Weight problems

are not just bad for your health, they are also linked with infertility. Being over- or underweight can make it harder for you to get pregnant.

Obesity can affect fertility

Obviously, all overweight women are not infertile. But overweight women do face increased risks for fertility problems compared to those women

who maintain a healthy weight. 

Here are five ways that weight problems can affect your health and your fertility.

Being overweight can:

1. Increase your chances of having irregular or absent periods

2. Raise your risk of miscarriage

3. Cause your body to produce too much

estrogen, which can make it harder to get pregnant

4. Be linked with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) , a major contributor to infertility in women

5. Increase the chances of having complications during infertility treatments

Also, assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF) are not as successful for obese women as they are for

women who are at an ideal fertility weight.

Underweight women also at risk

Now you know that obesity can be linked with infertility - but did you know that being too thin

can also make it harder to conceive? Being underweight, or having a very low percent of body fat, can be seriously risky for women trying to conceive.

Women who are underweight may have issues with their hormone levels, like having very low estrogen levels. They may also experience irregular or absent periods ( anovulation), which

could make it harder to conceive.

Healthy fertility weight

Ask your doctor to help you find your BMI and identify your ideal fertility weight. If your ideal weight seems out of reach, work with your doctor to design a healthy diet and lifestyle plan.

If you are overweight or obese, maintain hope and discuss weight loss options with your doctor. At least one study reports that obese women with ovulation problems showed improved fertility after weight loss.

If you are underweight and fertility problems persist, talk to your doctor and identify a plan to help you achieve your ideal fertility weight.

If you are already at a healthy weight, keep doing what you're doing. Continue to make good food choices and exercise regularly to maintain good health.

Sources:

• CDC: Infertility: A Public Health Focus on Infertility Prevention, Detection, and

Management.

• American Pregnancy Association: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
• American Society of Reproductive Medicine: Weight and Fertility: Patient's Fact Sheet.
• Obesity and Reproduction. What am I doing that can cause infertility? Optimizing Natural Fertility.

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Scientists find brain hormone that triggers fat burning

Date:

January 27, 2017

Source:

The Scripps Research Institute

Summary:

Biologists have identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in the gut. Their findings in animal models could have implications for future pharmaceutical development.

TSRI Assistant Professor Surpriya Srinivasan (left) and TSRI Research Associate Lavinia Palamiuc led the new study.

Credit: Madeline McCurry-Schmidt

Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in the gut. Their findings in animal models could have implications for future pharmaceutical development.

"This was basic science that unlocked an interesting mystery," said TSRI Assistant Professor Supriya Srinivasan, senior author of the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications.

Previous studies had shown that the neurotransmitter serotonin can drive fat loss. Yet no one was sure exactly how. To answer that question, Srinivasan and her colleagues experimented with roundworms called C. elegans, which are often used as model organisms in biology. These worms have simpler metabolic systems than humans, but their brains produce many of the same signaling molecules, leading many researchers to believe that findings in C. elegans may be relevant for humans.

The researchers deleted genes in C. elegans to see if they could interrupt the path between brain serotonin and fat burning. By testing one gene after another, they hoped to find the gene without which fat burning wouldn't occur. This process of elimination led them to a gene that codes for a neuropeptide hormone they named FLP-7 (pronounced "flip 7").

Interestingly, they found that the mammalian version of FLP-7 (called Tachykinin) had been identified 80 years ago as a peptide that triggered muscle contractions when dribbled on pig intestines. Scientists back then believed this was a hormone that connected the brain to the gut, but no one had linked the neuropeptide to fat metabolism in the time since.

The next step in the new study was to determine if FLP-7 was directly linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Study first author Lavinia Palamiuc, a TSRI research associate, spearheaded this effort by tagging FLP-7 with a fluorescent red protein so that it could be visualized in living animals, possible because the roundworm body is transparent. Her work revealed that FLP-7 was indeed secreted from neurons in the brain in response to elevated serotonin levels. FLP-7 then traveled through the circulatory system to start the fat burning process in the gut.

"That was a big moment for us," said Srinivasan. For the first time, researchers had found a brain hormone that specifically and selectively stimulates fat metabolism, without any effect on food intake.

Altogether, the newly discovered fat-burning pathway works like this: a neural circuit in the brain produces serotonin in response to sensory cues, such as food availability. This signals another set of neurons to begin producing FLP-7. FLP-7 then activates a receptor in intestinal cells, and the intestines begin turning fat into energy.

Next, the researchers investigated the consequences of manipulating FLP-7 levels. While increasing serotonin itself can have a broad impact on an animal's food intake, movement and reproductive behavior, the researchers found that increasing FLP-7 levels farther downstream didn't come with any obvious side effects. The worms continued to function normally while simply burning more fat.

Srinivasan said this finding could encourage future studies into how FLP-7 levels could be regulated without causing the side effects often experienced when manipulating overall serotonin levels.

Story Source:

Materials provided by The Scripps Research Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Lavinia Palamiuc, Tallie Noble, Emily Witham, Harkaranveer Ratanpal, Megan Vaughan, Supriya Srinivasan. A tachykinin-like neuroendocrine signalling axis couples central serotonin action and nutrient sensing with peripheral lipid metabolism. Nature Communications, 2017; 8: 14237 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14237

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Plant-Based Catfish Feeds

This research report contains a brief look at the current status of catfish feeds and is primarily intended for catfish producers and feed formulators and manufacturers, write Edwin H. Robinson and Menghe H. Li, Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi.

Historically, commercial catfish feeds have contained fishmeal or other animal protein sources because these products were generally considered to be necessary to provide essential nutrients and to improve feed palatability. However, numerous research reports have shown that catfish grown from stocker to  market size do not necessarily require animal protein. Over the last several years, we conducted a variety of studies comparing plant and animal protein sources in catfish feed. Treatment means averaged from weight gain (pound per fish) and feed conversion ratio were almost identical in these studies, regardless of whether plant or animal sources were used. For fish fed plant-based diets, weight gain was 1 pound per fish and feed conversion ratio was 1.65. Compare these averages to fish fed feeds containing animal feedstuffs: weight gain of 1.04 pound and feed conversion ratio of 1.60. Other researchers have reported similar results, and plantbased feeds have been used successfully in commercial catfish culture for years. Even so, some catfish producers still insisted that animal protein be included in commercial catfish feeds—that is, until the price of these products rose to a level basically prohibiting their use. Currently, animal protein is used sparingly in feeds for catfish fry and small fingerlings, but most commercial catfish feeds used for grow out are plant-based.

FEEDSTUFFS

Plant-based feedstuffs commonly used in catfish feeds include soybean meal, cottonseed meal, corn grain, corn gluten feed, corn germ meal, distillers dried grains with solubles, wheat middlings, and rice bran. Feedstuffs such as canola meal, peanut meal, sunflower meal, and others could be used, but they are generally not available at a reasonable cost in the primary catfish growing areas. Aside from soybean meal, other plant feedstuffs are typically deficient in lysine, but using supplemental lysine can compensate for this. Some plant proteins contain toxins and antinutritional factors, but these are typically not a problem because they are either present in very low concentrations or are inactivated during processing or during feed manufacturing.

Soybean meal has traditionally been the predominant feedstuff used in catfish feeds because it is high in protein (48%), has the best amino acid profile of all common plant feedstuffs, and is highly palatable and digestible to catfish. The inclusion rate for soybean meal in catfish feeds has been 40–50% of the feed. However, because of the dramatic increase in soybean meal prices in recent years, other feedstuffs are being used to replace as much soybean meal as possible without affecting fish performance. Cottonseed meal or a combination of cottonseed meal and corn gluten feed, corn germ meal, or distillers dried grains with solubles plus supplemental lysine can be used in place of soybean meal. Though some studies indicate soybean meal can be completely replaced, data from more recent studies suggest that probably no more than about 50% of the soybean meal should be replaced in catfish feeds based solely on plant feedstuffs. Higher levels may reduce processed yield likely due to the lower protein digestibility, imbalanced amino acid composition, and high fiber content. Another consideration is product quality. For example, all corn-based feedstuffs contain yellow pigments that if fed in high enough concentrations can result in a discoloration of edible tissue that is unacceptable to the  consumer. Distillers dried grains with solubles contain a relatively high amount of yellow pigment, thus its use may be limited more by this problem than nutritional quality. We recommend that the feed contain no more than about 7 parts per million of yellow pigment. At least 15–20% corn grain is generally needed to achieve proper expansion of feed pellets during extrusion, which allows the feed to float. Therefore, the use of other corn-based feedstuffs (particularly distillers dried grains with solubles) is limited. Feedstuffs such as wheat grain, wheat middlings, and rice bran may be used but are not currently widely used.

FORMULATING PLANT-BASED FEEDS

When nutritionists use least-cost computer programs to formulate catfish feeds, the goal is to make the least expensive product possible given a specific set of criteria that ensure the feed is of the quality needed for catfish. In other words, a properly balanced feed should meet the nutritional and energy requirements of an animal in a palatable and digestible form. Regardless of the specifications used, it is essential to check the formula to ensure that ingredient composition is practical and nutritional requirements are met. Once a basic formula is established, typically only minor adjustments are needed to get a practical formula that meets the set criteria. The ingredient specifications in Table 1 should be used as a guideline because actual amounts of feedstuffs used may vary somewhat due to differences in nutrient content or product quality. Nutrient specifications given in Table 2 are for a 28% protein feed, which we recommend for catfish. Numerous studies have shown that 28% protein provides the same growth as 32% protein. Over the last 15 years or so, we conducted many studies comparing these protein concentrations. Means averaged from these studies show that weight gain and feed conversion ratios were similar for 28% and 32% protein feed. Weight gain (pounds per fish) and feed conversion ratio were 1.13 and 1.67, respectively, for fish fed a 32% protein feed; 1.18 and 1.65, respectively, for fish fed 28% protein.

SUMMARY

Considerable research has been conducted over the last two decades on plant-based catfish feeds, including the evaluation of plant-based feeds containing various protein levels. The data show that a feed prepared from feedstuffs of plant origin containing 28% protein is adequate for rapid catfish growth from stocker to market size. We recommend that no more than about onehalf of the soybean meal be replaced with alternative feedstuffs. In addition, when you use corn-based byproducts to replace part of the corn grain and/or soybean meal, we recommend that yellow pigments not 

exceed 7 parts per million. The information presented in Tables 1 and 2 is based on the best information we have, but it should be considered as a guideline and therefore is subject to change.

19 Steps to Efficient African Catfish Breeding

Many farmers have been unable to successfully breed African Catfish. Several attempts made have given unfruitful results. In this guide, Lanre Ogunsina lists his own simple 19 proven steps to efficiently breed the African Catfish.

Due to the difficulties of getting consistent, fast growing, disease resistant and uniform sized catfish fingerlings and juveniles, the African Catfish Hatchery came into existence.

In the African Catfish Hatchery, catfish fry ‘come out’ from eggs under an artificial condition in commercial numbers. These fry grow into fingerlings and they later become juveniles.

The past practice of capturing African catfish fingerlings or juveniles from the wild often encouraged disease infested stocks and the supplies of the fingerlings in large numbers from the wild are not always consistent.

This practice has never been commercially reasonable since the man hours expended in capturing the fishes are not commensurate with the fishes caught.

The African catfish breeding season in the wild usually commences with the advent of the rains. The coming of the rains in tropical Africa is mainly characterized with extreme temperature fluctuations. These fluctuations could prevent high survival of the African catfish fry.

In addition to these limiting factors for securing viable and good catfish seeds, African catfish fingerlings caught from the wild could have in one way or the other experienced stunted growth due to lack of readily available good food.

Runoff water from rainfall at times introduces polluted water into streams and rivers that house these fry and fingerlings.

The African Catfish Hatchery therefore became pertinent to strategically address these shortcomings in the African catfish seed procurement.

A farmer fishing for African Catfish Fingerlings in the Shallow parts of a River.

Fry need consistent good food provided in sufficient quantities at regular intervals for smooth transitional growth. Water quality is equally important. Pollution of water in the wild at certain instances cannot be easily prevented.

Photograph of non-uniform African Catfish Fingerlings

This guide focuses on a simple method of producing African catfish seeds.

My aim is to remove the myth and mystery from African Catfish Seed production.

A lot of uncertainties have been credited to the propagation of the African Catfish. I want to believe that this is probably due to inadequate knowledge of the fish.

Mr Ogunsina's experience with the African catfish shows clearly that the fish is easy and fun to propagate.

He has personally identified certain steps in the propagation of the African catfish which he can share with you.

The African Catfish

Steps of propagation

Theses steps are by no means fixed. In fact new ideas are emerging constantly.

The African catfish could be propagated in several ways. These ways are basic, though dynamic. The following steps are from Mr Ogunsina's own experience in propagating the fish.

Step 1: Identify and separate the sexes.

Determining sexes in the African Catfish

The male and female of the African catfish can be easily recognized. The male has a distinct sexual papilla, elongated and located just behind the anus. This sexual papilla is usually red at the tip for sexually ready males. It is absent in females.

A gentle press on the belly of the female fish towards the genital opening releases the ripe eggs indicating the readiness and viability of the female.

A sexually ready female has a swollen, usually reddish genital opening. A view from the top also gives a female African catfish away since either side of the belly appears swollen.

Step 2: Select and check for a gravid female ((i.e. female with ripe eggs)

Photograph showing method of pressing eggs out of a gravid female African Catfish

Step 3: Weigh the Female Fish

Photograph showing a gravid female on a table scale

Dried African Catfish Pituitary Gland

Put the pituitary inside a laboratory mortar.

Grind the pituitary using a pestle until it becomes powder.

Add 1ml saline solution.

Collect the solution and Inject the female fish using an hypodermic Syringe.

Ovaprim, an example of a synthetic hormone.

This is done to have an idea of the weight of the egg inside the fish. From my own experience, I can guess that 8 -15% of the weight of a gravid female fish is the weight of the eggs.

A female catfish that therefore weighs 500 grams has the weight of the egg to be 50 grams.

A gram of egg contains approximately 700 eggs.

Thus a gravid female African catfish with a weight of 500 grams could boast of 35,000 eggs.

The viability of the eggs depends on brood stock care and management.

Step 4: Prepare the female Catfish for injection

African catfish pituitary is commonly used for induced catfish breeding. Methods of removal and preservation of the pituitary are not contained in this book.

For induced breeding of the African catfish, I like to the use the pituitary gland, either freshly removed or ethanol preserved. I recommend a ratio of 1:1, recipient: donor i.e. if the weight of the female fish to be induced is 1kg, the weight of the donor fish, male or female should also be 1kg for freshly removed pituitary.

However, for dried, preserved pituitary, I recommend a ratio of 1:1.5 i.e. recipient fish should be 1kg and the donor fish should weigh 1.5kg. I will like to state here that it is not compulsory that the donor fish should be one fish; it could be 2 or 3 fishes with a combined weight of 1.5kg or as the case may be in weight.

A synthetic hormone can also be used. Usually, the manufacturer will include the prescribed dosage suitable for The African Catfish breeding.

When you want to inject the fish, please don’t inject the fish on the lateral line. I personally prefer the syringe pointing towards the tail of the fish. The fish should also be injected above the lateral line with the needle at 45 degrees to body of the fish. 

Photograph showing how to inject the African Catfish

When you want to inject the fish, please don’t inject the fish on the lateral line.

I personally prefer the syringe pointing towards the head of the fish. The fish should also be injected above the lateral line with the needle at 45 degrees to body of the fish.

Note that this process should be done while the fish’s head is covered with a moist towel. This allows the fish to remain calm throughout the 18 entire process.

Step 5: Isolate the Injected fish in a Comfortable, big bowl and wait for 10 to 12 hours.

Photograph showing Isolated African Catfish after injecting with synthetic Hormone.

Step 6: Prepare to strip the fish, Set up your incubator.

Photograph showing an incubator set-up for the stripped African Catfish eggs

Step 7: Bring the Fish out after 10 to 12 hours gently and cover the head with a clean, moist towel.

Step 8: Wipe the body of the fish dry using a dry, soft towel.

Photograph showing how to carefully wipe water off the body of the Female catfish

Step 9: Strip the fish (i.e. press the eggs out of the fish).

Photograph showing how to gently press the Female African Catfish abdomen to collect the eggs

The pituitary injection makes the fish ready to release the eggs. In fact after the injection has been administered to the fish, following the right dosage, the process of getting the eggs out of the fish is irreversible.

At the onset of blood coming out with the eggs, please stop the exercise!

Step 10: Weigh the stripped eggs

This helps to have an idea of the expected fry.

Photograph showing the stripped eggs on a weighing scale.

Step 11: Bring the Male out, kill it, turn the belly up and cut it open

Photograph showing how to cut open the Male African Catfish in order to remove to remove the Milt sac

Photograph showing the milt sac of the male African Catfish

Step 12: Remove the milt sac

Photograph sowing the milt sac in the Male African Catfish

Step 13: Cut the testicles into bits to release the sperm

Step 14: Add saline solution to the milt

Step 15: Pour the mixture of saline solution and milt to the stripped eggs in the bowl

Photograph showing a mixture of saline solution and milt from the male catfish being added to the eggs.

Step 16: Mix thoroughly and add fresh, clean, water

Photograph showing water being added to the mixture of eggs, saline solution and milt from the male African catfish.

The Saline solution added to the milt (sperm) keeps the sperm alive but not active. The saline solution makes it easy for the entire stripped eggs to be saturated with the milt. The subsequent addition of fresh, clean water now makes the sperm active and motile.

It is the addition of clean water that initiates the external fertilization process. This whole process of fertilization lasts for only about 60 seconds. That is why I strongly advice that you increase percentage fertilization by stirring the mixture during this 60 seconds.

Continue mixing to prevent eggs from sticking together.

Step 17: Spread the eggs inside the incubator on the Spawning sponge

Photograph showing the Incubator set-up

The spawning sponge is completely immersed in water. It however sits on the spawning net which keeps it suspended in the water. The net is held in place by pegs.

Step 18: Wait 20 to 36 hours

After 20 to 36 hours, remove the sponge and spawning net. By now the fry would have emerged from the hatched eggs and would have gone to the bottom of the net.

The un-hatched ones, now attached to the spawning sponge and spawning net are removed from the water since they would be attacked by fungi if left for too long. This fungi would inevitably attack the hatched eggs at the bottom of the net.

Diagram showing the spawning net, spawning sponge arrangement in an incubator

Step 19: Observe the newly hatched eggs, with yolk still visible and attached to the fry

Newly hatched African catfish eggs

Lanre Ogunsina is an Aquaculture Management Consultant with over 20 years experience. He runs high profile projects and mentors project managers - specializing in Project troubleshooting. His works range from small technology start-ups to large Aquaculture Projects.

Honey can reverse antibiotic resistance, study suggests

Date:

Jan 25, 2017

Source:

Society for General Microbiology

Summary:

Manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to new research.

Manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to new research.

Manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate.

Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff is looking at how manuka honey interacts with three types of bacteria that commonly infest wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Her group has found that honey can interfere with the growth of these bacteria in a variety of ways and suggests that honey is an attractive option for the treatment of drug-resistant wound infections.

Honey has long been acknowledged for its antimicrobial properties. Traditional remedies containing honey were used in the topical treatment of wounds by diverse ancient civilisations. Manuka honey is derived from nectar collected by honey bees foraging on the manuka tree in New Zealand and is included in modern licensed wound-care products around the world. However, the antimicrobial properties of honey have not been fully exploited by modern medicine as its mechanisms of action are not yet known.

Professor Cooper's group is helping to solve this problem by investigating at a molecular level the ways in which manuka honey inhibits wound-infecting bacteria. "Our findings with streptococci and pseudomonads suggest that manuka honey can hamper the attachment of bacteria to tissues which is an essential step in the initiation of acute infections. Inhibiting attachment also blocks the formation of biofilms, which can protect bacteria from antibiotics and allow them to cause persistent infections," explained Professor Cooper. "Other work in our lab has shown that honey can make MRSA more sensitive to antibiotics such as oxacillin -- effectively reversing antibiotic resistance. This indicates that existing antibiotics may be more effective against drug-resistant infections if used in combination with manuka honey."

This research may increase the clinical use of manuka honey as doctors are faced with the threat of diminishingly effective antimicrobial options. "We need innovative and effective ways of controlling wound infections that are unlikely to contribute to increased antimicrobial resistance. We have already demonstrated that manuka honey is not likely to select for honey-resistant bacteria," said Professor Cooper. At present, most antimicrobial interventions for patients are with systemic antibiotics. "The use of a topical agent to eradicate bacteria from wounds is potentially cheaper and may well improve antibiotic therapy in the future. This will help reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from colonised wounds to susceptible patients."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Society for General Microbiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Society for General Microbiology. "Honey can reverse antibiotic resistance, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 April 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412201713.htm>.

One in five young people lose sleep over social media

Date:

January 25, 2017

Source:

Taylor & Francis

Summary:

One in five young people regularly wake up in the night to send or check messages on social media, according to new research. This night-time activity is making teenagers three times more likely to feel constantly tired at school than their peers who do not log on at night, and could be affecting their happiness and well being.

The study findings support growing concerns about young people's night-time use of social media.

1 in 5 young people regularly wake up in the night to send or check messages on social media, according to new research published today in the Journal of Youth Studies. This night-time activity is making teenagers three times more likely to feel constantly tired at school than their peers who do not log on at night, and could be affecting their happiness and well being.

Over 900 pupils, aged between 12-15 years, were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire about how often they woke up at night to use social media and times of going to bed and waking. They were also asked about how happy they were with various aspects of their life including school life, friendships and appearance.

1 in 5 reported 'almost always' waking up to log on, with girls much more likely to access their social media accounts during the night than boys. Those who woke up to use social media nearly every night, or who didn't wake up at a regular time in the morning, were around three times as likely to say they were constantly tired at school compared to their peers who never log on at night or wake up at the same time every day. Moreover, pupils who said they were always tired at school were, on average, significantly less happy than other young people.

"Our research shows that a small but significant number of children and young people say that they often go to school feeling tired -- and these are the same young people who also have the lowest levels of wellbeing. One in five young people questioned woke up every night and over one third wake-up at least once a week to check for messages. Use of social media appears to be invading the 'sanctuary' of the bedroom." Said author Professor Sally Power, Co-Director (Cardiff) Wales Institute for Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD).

The study findings support growing concerns about young people's night-time use of social media. However, because of the complex range of possible explanations for tiredness at school, further larger studies will be needed before any firm conclusions can be made about the social causes and consequences of sleep deprivation among today's youth.

Journal Reference:

1. Sally Power, Chris Taylor, Kim Horton. Sleepless in school? The social dimensions of young people’s bedtime rest and routines. Journal of Youth Studies, 2017; 1 DOI: 10.1080/13676261.2016.1273522

ACADEMIC PLAN FOR SLT OND PROGRAM

EAGLES FLY ALONE; CROWNS FLY IN GROUPS

Every great idea and dream must be established within you and you alone. There will come times when only you will believe it is going to happen. Can you stand alone? Can you believe when it looks as if no one else does?

John Gardner declared, “The cynic says, ‘One man can’t do anything’. I say, ‘Only one man can do anything’”. Nobody can do it for you. No one will do it for you. I repeat, No one will do it for you. If you get that right you begin to release that one’s future, life and prospect is directly dependent on what one do now; indirectly how you utilized every opportunity that comes your way and fundamentally depends on the Grace from your Maker (GOD).

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow puts it this way: “Not in the clamour of the crowded streets, not in the shouts or plaudits of the throng, but in us are triumph and defeat.” You can’t delegate your thinking, dreaming or believing to others.

Thomas Edison, who claimed he could think better because of his partial deafness, said, “The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.”

Eagles fly alone; crows fly in groups. Know how to get away and separate yourself. Don’t belong so completely to others that you do not belong to yourself. The fact we’re all in this together-by ourselves. The fact that you are privileged to be in school doesn’t make you the best brain or smartest. The fact that your parents are not here with you to control your movements and actions doesn’t mean you got a ticket to destroy your life by your life style in the name of freedom and student life.

Alexander Graham Bell made this observation: “Don’t keep forever on the public road. Leave the beaten path occasionally and drive into the woods. You’ll be certain to find something that you’ve never seen before. One discovery will lead to another, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about to occupy your mind. All really big discoveries are the results of thought.” Most big ideas are discovered when are by yourself.

Don’t accept that others know you better than yourself. Great leaders have always encountered noisy opposition from mediocre minds. The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that others are responsible for your failures and successes. Each of us will give an account of ourselves, not of anyone else, to God.

There is power in the principle of standing alone. More than anyone else, you must be persuaded.

The opportunity to succeed or not is yours. Don’t give in to peer pressure that destroys. Sweet tongues that deceive. Materialistic life style that blind your sense of reasoning hence destructive decision. Bad friends that steal your dreams and visions. No one can take that away unless you let them. Learn to be alone and stand alone, or nothing worthwhile will catch up with you.

Remember, standing alone means believing in yourself absolutely and not depending on people for everything.

ABOUT THE HANDBOOK

This is the first of its kind in structuring and equipping students both academically and general self development in readiness for a bright future.

It contains two well structure compendium, one talks about your academic plans for the entire OND program while the other is a compendium of self development lesson. This is structured such a way that by the time you graduate, you graduate as a well prepared youth ready to exploit the world with the right mindset full of possibilities and optimism.

The Academic plan covers NBTE standard guide to all the courses you are to offer all through your OND program. It contains all the course content (curriculum) arranged weekly. It will enable you to have a first class information about what you are to be taught hence prepare yourself ahead of time and get updated. Having this handbook is like having the entire courses at your finger tip and ready for any of them at all time since you can now predict what your Lecturer is going to Lecture you thus making you balance for the task. Now you don't need to ask your Lecture for course content or lack the knowledge of what you supposed to cover on any course for each semester.

The self Development aspect look deeply into your challenges as a youth in becoming what God have destine you to become and how to over come them. Remember you are what God said you are not what people presumed you are because He knows you better since He is the one that created you hence knows all there is to know about you. It is embedded with a lot of quotations to help awaken the sleeping lion in us. The Author also share the work of Barbara Berger’s concept on the “mental technology software for your hardware" to teach you the way of life and its philosophical compendium to easy life style yet with a great possibilities of achieving anything good you want to achieve in life as you enter into the world the exploit it. 

WHAT IS THE COST 
The first 50 to request for this Handbook shall get it at N750 subsequent ones shall get it at N1050 for now since the Author can increase the price after this bonanza period has expired. Fortunately this Handbook is one of the best thing that you need to succeed easily through out your OND program yet very cheap.

HOW TO REQUEST
You request for this Handbook by comment here with your level, working email address and mobile number then the admin shall get back to you. Note: Your mobile number is to secure payment while your email is to secure the Handbook once payment is confirmed. 

Explainer: What is dopamine?

This chemical can help you move, but it can also affect mood, memory and more

BETHANY BROOKSHIRE

JAN 17, 2017 — 7:05 AM EST

This image shows the edges of two brain cells meeting. The orange stars are molecules of dopamine, leaving one cell and binding to the receptors (blue) on a neighboring cell.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

What do drug addiction and Parkinson’s disease have in common? Improper levels of dopamine (DOAP-uh-meen). This chemical acts as a messenger between brain cells. Dopamine is important for many of our daily behaviors. It plays a role in how we move, for instance, as well as what we eat, how we learn and even whether we become addicted to drugs.

Chemical messengers in the brain are called neurotransmitters. They shuttle across the spaces between cells. These messengers then bind to docking-station molecules called receptors. Those receptors relay the signal carried by the neurotransmitter from one cell to its neighbor.

Different neurotransmitters are made in different parts of the brain. Two main brain areas produce dopamine. One is called the substantia nigra (Sub-STAN-sha NY-grah). It’s a tiny strip of tissue on either side of the base of your brain. It sits in a region known as the midbrain. Close by is the ventral tegmental area. It, too, makes dopamine.

These two brain areas are very thin and tiny. Together they are smaller than a postage stamp. But the dopamine they produce relays signals that travel throughout the brain. Dopamine from the substantia nigra helps us begin movements and speech. When the brain cells that make dopamine in this area start to die off, a person can have trouble initiating movement. It’s just one of the many symptoms ravaging people with Parkinson’s disease (a condition best known for uncontrollable tremors). To move normally, patients with Parkinson’s take a drug that lets them make more dopamine (or they get an implant that stimulates deep regions of the brain).

The dopamine from the ventral tegmental area doesn’t help people move — at least, not directly. Instead, this area usually sends dopamine into the brain when animals (including people) expect or receive a reward. That reward might be a delicious slice of pizza or a favorite song. This dopamine release tells the brain that whatever it just experienced is worth getting more of. And that helps animals (including people) change their behaviors in ways that will help them attain more of the rewarding item or experience.

Dopamine also helps with reinforcement — motivating an animal to do something again and again. Dopamine is what prompts a lab animal, for instance, to repeatedly press a lever to get tasty pellets of food. And it’s part of why humans seek out another slice of pizza. Reward and reinforcement help us learn where to find important things such as food or water, so that we can go back for more. Dopamine even affects moods. Things that are rewarding tend to make us feel pretty good. Lowering dopamine can make animals lose pleasure in activities like eating and drinking. This joyless state is called anhedonia (AN-heh-DOE-nee-uh).

Because of its roles in reward and reinforcement, dopamine also helps animals focus on things. Anything that’s rewarding, after all, is usually well worth our attention.

But dopamine has a more sinister side. Drugs such as cocaine, nicotine and heroin cause huge boosts in dopamine. The “high” people feel when they use drugs comes partly from that dopamine spike. And that prompts people to seek out those drugs again and again — even though they are harmful. Indeed, the brain “reward” associated with that high can lead to drug abuse and eventually to addiction.

Power Words

(for more about Power Words, click here)

addicted     Unable to control the use of a habit-forming drug or to forego an unhealthy habit (such as video game playing or phone texting). It results from an illness triggered by brain changes that occur after using some drugs or engaging in some extremely pleasurable activities. People with an addiction will feel a compelling need to use a drug (which can be alcohol, the nicotine in tobacco, a prescription drug or an illegal chemical such as cocaine or heroin), even when the user knows that doing so risks severe health or legal consequences.

anhedonia    A state where animals or people no longer find pleasure in activities they used to enjoy (from favorite hobbies to simply eating tasty food) and are no longer motivated to do those activities. People with some mental illnesses, such as depression and schizophrenia, may experience anhedonia as part of their disease.

behavior     The way a person or other organism acts towards others, or conducts itself.

cell     The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Typically too small to see with the naked eye, it consists of watery fluid surrounded by a membrane or wall. Animals are made of anywhere from thousands to trillions of cells, depending on their size. Some organisms, such as yeasts, molds, bacteria and some algae, are composed of only one cell.

chemical     A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (become bonded together) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom. Its chemical symbol is H2O. Chemical can also be an adjective that describes properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds.

docking     The act of bringing together and inserting one thing into another.

dopamine     A neurotransmitter, this chemical helps transmit signals in the brain.

heroin     A highly addictive and illegal drug derived from morphine, a potent pain killer. People often take heroin as a narcotic — something that dulls the senses, relieves pain and makes them sleepy or unmotivated to do anything other than lay in a slump.

molecule     An electrically neutral group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in the air is made of two oxygen atoms (O2), but water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O).

neurotransmitter     A chemical released at the end of a neuron to carry a message to a neighboring cell. This chemical travels across the space between two cells, and then binds to molecules on a neighboring cell to transmit a message. Neurotransmitters are released from neurons, and can bind to neurons or to other types of cell, including those that make up muscles or glands.

nicotine     A colorless, oily chemical produced in tobacco and certain other plants. It creates the ‘buzz’ effect associated with smoking. It also is highly addictive, making it hard for smokers to give us their use of cigarettes. The chemical is also a poison, sometimes used as a pesticide to kill insects and even some invasive snakes or frogs.

Parkinson’s disease     A disease of the brain and nervous system that causes tremors and affects movement, memory and mood.

receptor     (in biology) A molecule in cells that serves as a docking station for another molecule. That second molecule can turn on some special activity by the cell.

reinforcement     Some consequence that guides the future behavior of an animal or person. If a rat presses a lever and receives a food pellet, that food pellet becomes a reinforcement of lever-pushing — it’s the reward that will teach the rat to press the lever again.

reward     (In animal behavior) A stimulus, such as a tasty food pellet, that is offered to an animal or person to get them to change their behavior or learn a task.

substantia nigra     Part of the midbrain. It produces dopamine, a brain signaling chemical, which plays an important role in helping people initiate movements. Death of the dopamine-producing cells in this brain region lead to some of the classic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

tissue     Any of the distinct types of material, comprised of cells, which make up animals, plants or fungi. Cells within a tissue work as a unit to perform a particular function in living organisms. Different organs of the human body, for instance, often are made from many different types of tissues. And brain tissue will be very different from bone or heart tissue.

ventral tegmental area     Part of the midbrain. It plays an important role in thinking, motivation, emotions and addiction.

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-dopamine