Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of urinary tract pathogens among diabetic mellitus disease patients in Benin City, Edo State

Background: Urinary tract infection caused by more resistant pathogens in patients with diabetic mellitus are more severe and is associated with worse outcomes than in patients without diabetes mellitus.Aim: To determine the prevalence of urinary tract pathogen, its associated risk factors andantimicrobial susceptibility pattern among diabetic mellitus patients in Benin City.Methodology: Two hundred diabetic mellitus disease patients consisting of 62 males and 138females within the age range 16 to 99years constituted the study group. Clean catchmidstream urine sample was collected and viewed macroscopically, cultured and incubatedaerobically at 370C for 24hrs. Bauer and Kirby antimicrobial susceptibility test was done onisolated pathogens. The results obtained were analyzed statistically.Results: A 28.5% UTI was obtained. Gender and Age of participants significantly impartedon the prevalence of UTI ((p=0.001; p=0.009). Educational status, marital status, number ofyears infected with DM and occupation significantly influenced the acquisition of UTI(p=0.009; p=0.030; p=0.023; p=0.001); Mode of residence did not significantly influence theprevalence of UTI (p = 0.356). The Gram negative organisms were less inhibited by thecephalosporins and fluoroquinolones while the Gram positive organism was susceptible to thecephalosporins (ceftazidime and cefuroxime) and fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin and levofloxacine).Conclusion: Prevention of infection and early detection of UTI is the key to reducingcomplications from bacterial infections in Diabetic mellitus disease patients

Anthropometry Survey of Nigerian Occupational Bus Drivers to Facilitate Sustainable Design of Driver’s Workplace

Driving is a highly demanding and responsible job in which both the driver and passengers are exposed to several occupational risks.However, poor design of driver’s workplace is a major risk factor responsible for the uncomfortable conditions which operators of this highly technological system are exposed to especially when engaged in long distance driving. This study aimed at developing anthropometric model for business bus drivers in Nigerian which will facilitate sustainable design of driver’s workplace. A sample size of 161 drivers were randomly selected among strata of operators of buses in selected motor parks in the study area for the ergonomic study. Twelve anthropometric data were collected and analysed to obtain their 5th,50th and 95th percentiles with which the anthropometric model were developed. Anthropometric model developed from 1932 data points was presented in forms of table showing measurement of sitting driver’s body parts in his workspace indicating design for average as well as extremities of 5th and 95th percentiles. The model represents a database from which designers, manufacturers of equipment, machine, automobiles and household goods can obtain relevant body measurement of the population under study in relation relevant to specific product feature and for development of sustainable workspace design

Distribution of Alternaria leaf blight of sunflowers caused by Alternaria alternata in South Africa

Alternaria leaf blight (ALB) has been shown in recent years to be one of the major potential disease threats of sunflower capable of causing yield losses in all major production areas. The aim of this study was to determine the causal agent, prevalence and geographical distribution of ALB in the major sunflower production areas of South Africa. Surveys were conducted during 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons at commercial sunflower production fields and at commercial cultivar trials. In the three growing seasons, twenty-nine sunflower commercial production sites were surveyed for ALB disease severity. Furthermore, four cultivars (AGSUN8251, PHB65A25, SY4200 and PAN7049) were surveyed for ALB during cultivar trials in a total of 25 localities during the three growing seasons. The plants were surveyed between 90 to 120 days after planting and leaves showing ALB symptoms were collected. Alternaria alternata was identified as the primary disease-causing organism of ALB in all the fields. Wesselsbron consistently had the lowest ALB disease severity during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons, whereas Potchefstroom had the highest disease severity in all three growing seasons. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was greatest for temperature (r=0.6 in 2012/13, r=0.71 in 2013/14 and r=0.84 in 2014/15) and disease severity in all the growing seasons. Information about the distribution of sunflower diseases is important and this survey demonstrated that A. alternata is widespread across sunflower production areas in South Africa and may result in potential yield losses

Learning Analytics: Professional Fees Equilibrium and Ethics between Estate Surveyors and Valuers and Clients

The professional scale of charges for estate surveyors and valuers as published by the regulatory body, the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) is a point of concern. This is because of the arbitrary negotiation, which most often than not have been done by parties concerned with the valuation assignment. Negotiation, which has been regarded as inevitable in dealings, if not curtailed in practice, could lead to incessant flaws of ethics. The study was confined to mortgage valuation as earlier works revealed its preponderance amongst other valuation types. This work aimed at determining an optimum scale of professional charges from a more scientific means using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) aided from past negotiation between clients and practicing estate surveyors and valuers in the study area. The determination of equilibrium was more transient, particularly as the value of properties increases. The result derived will serve as a policy statement for the profession of estate surveying and valuation in charting a better course for practice

Indications of coherence-incoherence crossover in layered transport

For many layered metals the temperature dependence of the interlayer resistance has a different behavior than the intralayer resistance. In order to better understand interlayer transport we consider a concrete model which exhibits this behavior. A small polaron model is used to illustrate how the interlayer transport is related to the coherence of quasi-particles within the layers. Explicit results are given for the electron spectral function, interlayer optical conductivity and the interlayer magnetoresistance. All these quantities have two contributions: one coherent (dominant at low temperatures) and one incoherent (dominant at high temperatures).Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, REVTEX

A search for appropriate anchor tenants in shopping malls in Lagos metropolis

Anchor tenant which have been regarded as tenants in shopping mall that propel visitation and activities in the mall has been studied majorly in line with its impact on customers, other shopping outlets and generally on the mall. There appears to be no work on a search for the constituents of anchor tenant in the mall. This happens to be the crux of the present study with emphasis on three notable malls in Lagos Metropolis, The Palms Mall, Ikeja City Mall and Adeniran Ogunsanyan Shopping Mall. A total of 207 questionnaires were distributed to customers of the mall using the mall intercept approach of which a cumulative response rate of 81% was achieved. Data collated which was geared towards ascertaining the stores/products offered that attract the customers to the malls was rated on a likert scale of 5 and analysed using the Relative Importance Index and result substantiated with the chi-square test of significance both at the 0.05% and 0.01% level of significance. The study advocated that mix of the plethoric of Departmental Stores (4.7917); Entertainment centres (4.6250); clothing foot wares and accessories (4.5833); Electronics and electrical appliances (4.4881); food and beverage (4.4583); food stuff (4.2381); Watches, jewellery and ornament (4.1904); and Financial Services (4.0000) will be best suited as anchor tenants in the study area

A search for pertinent factors in determining values of cemeteries in Nigeria

Notwithstanding the criticism by researchers in the usage of the conventional valuation models in valuing cemeteries, there has not been a conscious effort amongst researchers in determining a special valuation model for this special property. This work thereby understudied some selected cemeteries in Lagos State with respect to the pertinent factors that are considered in the allocation of the tomb in the cemeteries. Questionnaires were distributed to the managers of the cemeteries in the state and data gotten was analysed using descriptive statistics with advocacy for a box- cox transformation hedonic model guide in subsequent value determination. Further discussions were thereafter made on the implication for real estate research and valuation practice in the country

Vascular Remodeling in Health and Disease

The term vascular remodeling is commonly used to define the structural changes in blood vessel geometry that occur in response to long-term physiologic alterations in blood flow or in response to vessel wall injury brought about by trauma or underlying cardiovascular diseases.1, 2, 3, 4 The process of remodeling, which begins as an adaptive response to long-term hemodynamic alterations such as elevated shear stress or increased intravascular pressure, may eventually become maladaptive, leading to impaired vascular function. The vascular endothelium, owing to its location lining the lumen of blood vessels, plays a pivotal role in regulation of all aspects of vascular function and homeostasis.5 Thus, not surprisingly, endothelial dysfunction has been recognized as the harbinger of all major cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.6, 7, 8 The endothelium elaborates a variety of substances that influence vascular tone and protect the vessel wall against inflammatory cell adhesion, thrombus formation, and vascular cell proliferation.8, 9, 10 Among the primary biologic mediators emanating from the endothelium is nitric oxide (NO) and the arachidonic acid metabolite prostacyclin [prostaglandin I2 (PGI2)], which exert powerful vasodilatory, antiadhesive, and antiproliferative effects in the vessel wall