Information Literacy, Computer Competence and Use of Electronic Resources by Olabisi Onabanjo Faculty Members.

University libraries in Nigeria are struggling within lean financial resources to provide electronic information resources for their clients. Studies have indicated poor use of library electronic resources. This study thus set out to investigate whether the lecturers possesses the skills to effectively use the electronic resources. The study probed into the information literacy, computer competence level of the lecturers and their use of electronic resources. Questionnaire survey was conducted for the study. A total of 125 of the questionnaires administered were duly completed, retrieved and analysed. The study found that the lecturers were information literate, possess computer competence and use electronic resources. They have access to and do use the internet and the library portal. The study among others recommends training and re-training for the academic staff in the effective use of electronic information resources

Non-invasive Imaging in Women With Heart Failure — Diagnosis and Insights Into Disease Mechanisms

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarise the role of different imaging techniques for diagnosis and investigation of heart failure in women. RECENT FINDINGS: Although sex differences in heart failure are well recognised, and the scope of imaging techniques is expanding, there are currently no specific guidelines for imaging of heart failure in women. SUMMARY: Diagnosis and stratification of heart failure is generally performed first line using transthoracic echocardiography. Understanding the aetiology of heart failure is central to ongoing management, and with non-ischaemic causes more common in women, a multimodality approach is generally required using advanced imaging techniques including cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging techniques, and cardiac computed tomography. There are specific considerations for imaging in women including radiation risks and challenges during pregnancy, highlighting the clear unmet need for cardiology and imaging societies to provide imaging guidelines specifically for women with heart failure

Extended Cox Modelling of Survival Data with Guarantee Time

Proportional Hazard regression model for censored survival data often specifies that covariates have a proportional fixed effect on the hazard function of the lifetime distribution of a subject. A modification of the proportional hazards model of Cox (1972) to accommodate the non-proportional effect on hazard with a time-varying covariate and the introduction of guarantee time into the Weibull distributed baseline hazard function. Simulations were conducted to investigate properties of the models. Our approach had shown to have the best asymptotic properties in a simulation study with mean, Absolute Bias (AB) and Mean Square Error (MSE) of the parameter estimates for the models (under different levels of censoring and sample sizes) using simulated data

Welfare and Economic Effects of Fiscal Behaviour of Local Governments in Nigeria

The Nigerian constitution recognises the local government areas (LGAs) as the third tier of government, and sets aside for it the responsibility of effective public service delivery at the grassroots. In recent times, debates have ensued on the effectiveness of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria. While a polar group calls for scrapping of the LGAs because of their poor or non-performance due to, among others, corruption; some others have advocated for a reasonable degree of autonomy to guarantee effectiveness and accountability in the discharge of their duty. In view of this, the study examines the fiscal behaviour of the LGAs with a view to investigating whether they enhance welfare or not. Also, the paper studies factors that affect revenue drive of LGAs, identifies main sources of revenue and its applications. Both primary and secondary data from Osogbo Local Government Area of Osun State are employed in the study that utilises descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. On welfare, the fiscal behaviour of Osogbo LGA is felt most in education sub-sector, followed by health and sanitation. The results further show that’ low internal revenue generation; political interference and inadequate mobility for tax collection are the primary factors affecting the performance of LGAs. Lastly, the study finds that increased spending on essential services would improve standard of living of people at the local level. Keywords: Local government, welfare, fiscal action

Material Selection for Crusher Jaw in a Jaw Crusher Equipment

There have been reported cases of the crusher jaw failure due to the high level of impact, tear and shear stresses experienced by the crusher jaw during service. The purpose of this paper is to select a suitable candidate material for the design of crusher jaw that can sustain fracture by any of the three modes of failure – tear, shear and impact at low cost using CES EduPack

Developing Supply Chain Strategies for Enhancing the Productivity in Financial Sector: Evidence from Nigeria

This paper presents the impact of applying the supply chain strategies on the financial sector to optimize productivity and decreasing cost which will have a direct impact on the net income of the organization. The global economic situation in the last decade has left stakeholders in Nigerian financial sector struggling to meet up with profits/returns expected from them by their investors. The Nigerian financial sector has put in place a lot of mechanism to achieve their goals and one of such is reduction of employees running cost without taking into consideration the outcome of such decision at the long run. So this study proposes the effects of supply chain on the overall staff productivity in the financial sector, precisely the deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study set to test two hypotheses by means of SPSS and Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation coefficient for processing and analyzing of data collected using responses from 244 questionnaires distributed across the selected financial institutions in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria and within acceptable Cronbach Alpha value of 0.7, results were interpreted and presented. The result of the analysis showed that there is a strong significant relationship between supply chain and staff productivity. The study found that there exist a great gap between the remunerations of casual and permanent employees thus leading to job dissatisfaction and lower productivity. The study recommends that government and management should develop supports toward employees input that will promote personal well-being and proletariat productivity while protecting them from exploitation by their employers in the financial institutions

Radiation Effects: Recommendations for Safe Plasma/Flame Cutting Operation

Plasma cutting has been a revolutionary method of processing metals as it provides precision cutting with a smooth finish. The Plasma Arc Cutting machine is an important machine used for producing fine cuts and creating shapes in materials. In addition to high energy radiation (ultraviolet and visible) which plasma arc cutting generates, the intense heat of the arc also generates substantial quantities of fumes and smoke from vaporizing metal in the kerf. With a reflection on a case study, this paper examines the working processes of the machine and the effect on the health of operators or any unsuspecting member of the public. With the safety regulations and recommendations from certified bodies, recommendations are made to ensure safety and limitations of health hazards during the use of the machine

Innovative Foundry Technology and Material Using Fused Deposition Modeling and Polylactic Acid Material in Sand Casing

In sand casting, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printing by using Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) filament is one of the innovative foundry technologies being adopted to substitute traditional pattern making. Several literatures have reported the influence of process parameters such as raster angle and print speed on some mechanical properties of FDM-printed, PLA-prototypes used in other applications. This study investigated the effects of interior fill, top solid layer, and layer height on the compressive strength of rapid patterns for sand casting application. Different values of the process parameters were used to print the pre-defined samples of the PLA-specimens and a compression test was performed on them. The coupled effects of the process parameters on compressive strength were investigated and the optimum values were determined. Interior fill of 36%, layer height of 0.21 mm and top solid layer of 4 were found to produce a FDM-printed, PLApattern that sustained a compaction pressure of 0.61 MPa. A simulation analysis with ANSYS® to compare failure modes of both experiment and model shows a similarity of buckling failure that occurred close to the base of each specimen

Police violence targeting LGBTIQ+ people in Nigeria: Advancing solutions for a 21st century challenge

The Government of Nigeria passed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) in 2014, emboldening the human rights violations of LGBT Nigerians by state and nonstate actors. Nigerian police enforce morality laws that criminalize same-sex relations, but their role as perpetrators of violence has not been well studied. Using six-year (2014 to 2019) administrative data, this article investigates the severity, prevalence, and typology of police violence and abuse of LGBT Nigerians. Since SSMPA, violence against LGBT Nigerians has risen by 214 percent. Survivors frequently report arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention, invasion of privacy, physical assault and battery, and blackmail/extortion. This study is the first to present serial, cross-sectional findings of LGBT Nigerians’ experience with the police. Available administrative reports and data were synthesized to produce a general picture of the situation on the ground. Findings point to actionable social and policy recommendations that can be taken to promote police accountability and improve police-LGBT community relations