Clinical findings and surgical outcomes of encephalocoeles

Background: Encephalocoeles are herniation of the brain and its meninges via a midline cranial vault defect or at the base of the skull, at the site of local mesenchymal disruption. It accounts for 10% to 20% of all the cranial and spinal dysraphisms found in 1/5000 live births.Method: It is a 5 year retrospective study on 42 cases of encephalocoele managed in a Nigerian Tertiary Medical Centre. We extracted the clinical findings and surgical management outcomes from the patient's case notes.Result: Ages at presentation were Neonates (24, 57.1%), ≤3 months (35, 83.3%), with mode of 2 days. Males (12, 28.6%), females (30, 71.4%), with M:F=1:2.5.  Posterior (occipital) lesions (36, 85.7%), anterior (6, 14.3%). Variable size lesions (33, 78.6%), giant encephalocoeles (9, 21.4%). Hydrocephalus (16, 38.1%) included pre-excision HCP (12, 75% of 16) and post excision HCP (4, 25% of 16). Available neuroimaging was TFUSS (all, 100%), CT Scan (20, 47.6%), MRI (2, 4.8%). Surgery of excision and repair (36, 85.7%), combined craniofacial repair (6, 14.3%), additional ventriculoperitoneal shunt (16, 38.1%). Post-operative complications included CSF leak (2, 4.8%), superficial surgical site infection (3, 7.1%), meningitis (1, 2.4%), shunt infection (4, 9.5%), shunt obstruction (7, 16.7%). Outcomes were good (38, 90.5%), blind (3, 7.1%), vegetative (1, 2.4%), death (1, 2.4%).Conclusions: Encephalocoeles are an uncommon congenital type of neural tube defect containing herniated brain tissue. Posterior (occipital) lesions are commoner (and maybe of giant size) than anterior lesions (Sincipital). Surgical outcomes are generally good

Digital elevation model bathymetry mapping of seafloor using qinsy qloud

Digital elevation model of seafloor mapping is one of the most active modern underwater acoustics domains to produce near real visualization of the underwater terrain, attracting the attention and knowledge exploration in many branches of science and technology. This study takes interests on the three dimensional (3D) geometrical description of the seafloor topography as well as to have idea on dynamic behavior of seabed morphology and its material properties. The aims of this study are to generate 3D digital elevation model of the seafloor, visualize and interpret the 3D model and analyze the effect of data duplication on depths where the main source of the data is multibeam echo sounder. The multibeam bathymetry technique has an unlimited range of application in the marine data acquisition and underwater investigation. The recent technological advancement and development on the multibeam bathymetry technique has led to the improvement of underwater mapping and study of seafloor classification. This Project described step by step approach and methodology adopted which focusing on the application of high resolution multibeam, RESON SeaBat8124. When the 3D bathymetric model produced is compared to Surfer and ArcMap software, the 3D model show the same topographical shape and the 3D model look similar. The shape produced by QINSy QLOUD is also the same

The impact of online banking on the performance of Nigerian banking sector

In this contemporary life, information technology (IT) has become a significant medium in economic and social development.Banking sector nowadays cannot move forward rapidly without the use of IT. In particular, online banking (ebanking) is one of the IT applications with the highest impact on the global economy in creating a new business environment in the sector.Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the impact of e-banking on the performance of the banking sector in Nigeria.E-banking will be measured by the expenditure made on information and communication technology (ICT) investments, number of debit cards issued to customers, and number of automated teller machines (ATMs) installed by the banks. Return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), and net interest margin (NIM) will be used as performance variables.The impact of ebanking on the bank performance will be examined in two periods: pre-consolidation (i.e., before adopting the e-banking) and post-consolidation (i.e., after adopting the e-banking). Data collection involves secondary data gathered via annual reports of 21 Nigerian banks.The SPSS software will be used for data analysis

An Empirical Study on the Use Intention of Electronic Cash Collection System in Nigerian Federal Hospitals

It is a well-known fact that the use of electronic systems around the globe has facilitated and enhanced the efficiency in organizations. In light of this, federal hospitals in Nigeria have started using electronic collection system for cash collection purposes. Electronic cash collection system (e-collection) is a computerized system designed to handle cash collections with a view to block revenue leakages that are widespread within the Nigerian public sector organizations. However, the continuous use of the system is being faced with great resistance by those employees that were purposely meant to use it. In view of that, the aim of this paper is to investigate factors that could influence employee’s intention to use e-collection system in the performance of their duties. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was adapted with an extension of computer self-efficacy variable with a view to providing additional explanation to the model. Partial Least Square (PLS) was used to analyse 116 responses from e-collection users in investigating the relationship between three independent variables (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, computer self-efficacy) and the dependent variable (intention). The results of the analysis revealed that positive and significant relationships exist between the independent variables and the dependent variable except between perceived usefulness and intention. Recommendations were made to the hospital authorities to educate and enlighten the concern employees on the usefulness and benefits of the new system

The Moderating Role of Innovativeness on the Relationship between Entrepreneurship Educations And Student Entrepreneurial Intention

This study examined the moderating role of innovativeness on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and students' entrepreneurial intention among FUD final year students as at 2017/2018 academic session. The study used a cross-sectional research design with a quantitative questionnaire approach to collect the data. To validate the model, data from 282 final year students were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Overall, the survey discovered that both entrepreneurship education and innovativeness are significantly and positively connected to entrepreneurial intention. This report also discovered that innovativeness play a part in moderating the entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention relationship. The study used Human Capital Theory HCT as a theoretical basis of the subject. This survey served as one of the pioneering study with regard to HCT in a testing relationship of this nature. This study recommended that other researchers should employ this hypothesis with other antecedent of entrepreneurial intention for further proof. As a repercussion to policy, the government ought to guarantee not only inspiring students with entrepreneurship education, but also the robust spirit of innovativeness among students as it delivers a direct effect as well as strong interaction with entrepreneurship education in influencing students' entrepreneurial intention

Comparative Analysis of Support Vector Machine and EGARCH Modelling of Zenith Bank Plc. Stock Price on Economic Growth in Nigeria

In this 21st century, stock exchange has become a crucial and determining factor for the global economy, any variability in this market affects personal, corporate financial activities and the economic growth a country. A lot of analysis using different models were explored by several authors. However, this study set out to investigates the statistical behaviour of Zenith Bank PLC stock price using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and EGARCH Model on economic growth in Nigeria by adopting quantitative techniques using the causal-comparative research method. The findings from this research shows a coefficient of the Zenith bank Low stock price at (0.546945) and high stock price at (0.453562) which indicates that low stock price is insignificant because is less than α = 0.05, while high stock price of greater than α = 0.05 is significant to predict the Zenith bank stock price. Findings from the study has further revealed that SVM mode approach is more appropriate than EGARCH model and recommends that stockholders, financial analyst and researchers who are investing in stock market should adapt the SVM model approach to determine the volatility rate or level of stochastic in the financial time series data. Keywords: Stock Price, Support Vector Machine (SVM), EGARCH Model, Stock Exchange, Economic Growt

A HINDU-ARABIC TO HAUSA NUMBER TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM

The invention of the numeration system is regarded as one of man's great accomplishments. It greatly helps man express his communication needs and serves as an important tool in language pedagogy, historical linguistics, comparative study of African languages, and computational linguistics. However, the numeral system is reported to be an endangered area being identified in the use and study of language, and in no distant time, the traditional number system of the African indigenous counting systems may lose its contact with the new generation. This paper presents a Hindu-Arabic to Hausa number transcription system. Secondary data used was sourced from literature. Context-Free Grammar (CFG) and Unified Modelling Language (UML) was used to design the system. The system designed was implemented using the Python programming language. Mean Opinion Score (MOS) evaluation approach was used to evaluate the implemented system. The result of the evaluation on Numbers with Single Representations (NSR), and Numbers with Multiple Representations (NMR) is based on three (3) metrics: syllable accuracy, orthography accuracy and syntax accuracy. The experimental respondents', system developed, and human expert average scores on NSR were respectively 0%, 100% and 100% for syllable accuracy, 40.1%, 100% and 100% for orthography accuracy, and 62.8%, 100% and 100% for syntax accuracy. Similarly, the experimental respondents', system developed, and human expert average scores on NMR were respectively 0%, 100% and 100% for syllable accuracy, 21.4%, 100% and 100% for orthography accuracy, and 31.7%, 100% and 100% for syntax accuracy. The system is capable of transcribing cardinal numbers, 1 to 1-billion, and the expert response confirmed its accuracy. The study concluded that among others, the developed system is of great importance in the teaching and learning of the traditional Hausa counting system. Future work on contextual Hausa numeral system analysis is recommended

Assessment of Nutritional Status, Care and Support among Type 2 Diabetic Outpatients in Selected Hospitals within Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

Diabetes mellitus is a significant public health concern and a worldwide health hazard, with scientific research suggesting that an individual's nutritional status plays a role in its development. The presence of familial support has been found to be linked with enhanced coping mechanisms, higher quality of life, improved management of diabetes, and better overall health outcomes, which includes the prevention of complications. The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status, care, and support provided to outpatients with type 2 diabetes in specific hospitals located within the Kaduna Metropolis. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design, encompassing a sample size of 280 individuals diagnosed with diabetes. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool was utilised to collect data pertaining to socio-demographic characteristics, dietary patterns, health-related complications, and lifestyle patterns. The researchers collected anthropometric measurements, including weight (in kilograms) and height (in meters). They then calculated the body mass index (BMI) by dividing the weight by the square of the height (in kilograms per square meters). The nutritional status indices were classified according to the standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The data were subjected to analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), with a predetermined level of significance set at P<0.05. The results indicate that a majority of the participants, specifically 69.64%, reported consuming fruits on a daily basis, while 32.14% reported consuming vegetables daily. The near half of participants (50.71%) exhibited normal weight, while 13.92% were classified as underweight, 19.64% as overweight, and 15.71% as obese. The primary complication encountered by the respondents was hypertension, with a prevalence rate of 36.07%. The research findings indicated a significant prevalence of familial and partner involvement in the care and support of individuals diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The study demonstrated a statistically significant association (p<0.05) between nutritional status and various factors, including occupation, religion, age, education, marital status, and monthly income. It is advisable to implement screening protocols for diabetic complications as a means of mitigating the risk of malnutrition among individuals with diabetes. Further investigation is warranted to explore the efficacy and obstacles associated with familial and partner assistance for individuals receiving medical care

Penetrating abdominal injuries in children: a study of 33 cases

Background: Trauma is gradually becoming a major cause of disability and it can be of any form, physical or emotional. For the surgeon the physical form is of major interest, especially its causes and incidence, which can be influenced by environmental or social factors.Aim: The aim of this work was to study the incidence, etiology, principles of management and outcome of children with penetrating abdominal injuries.Materials and methods: This was a 2-year prospective study of 33 children aged 0–15 years with penetrating abdominal injuries at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in northeast Nigeria. Information obtained included the following: the patient’s biodata, mechanism of injury, time of presentation to the Accident and Emergency Department after the injury, haemodynamic status at presentation, presence or absence of abdominal organ evisceration, presence or absence of associated injuries, the timing of surgery, intraoperative findings, the type of surgical procedure and outcome.Results: Thirty-three (31.4%) children [of whom 24 (i.e. 72.7%) were from the rural areas] of 105 children with trauma-related injuries had penetrating abdominal injuries. The male : female ratio was 3 : 1, and the mean age ± SD was 2.30± 0.81 years. There were 15 (45.4%) children with gunshot wounds, 11 (33.3%) with bomb blast wounds, three (9.1%) with impalement injuries and two (6.1%) with arrow injuries. Fourteen (42.4%) patients had abdominal organ evisceration; of them, nine were as a result of gunshot injuries. Routine exploratory laparotomy was carried out in all 33 patients. Seven (21.2%) were operated on with simultaneous resuscitation in the immediate laparotomy group, and 26 (78.8%) underwent delayed laparotomy. There was a negative laparotomy in four (12.1%) patients, two of whom had only omental evisceration with no other accompanying visceral injuries, and two without evisceration. Three (9.1%) patients died after developing enterocutaneous fistula, compartment syndrome and sepsis.Conclusion: There were more cases of penetrating abdominal injuries among boys and children from the rural areas than in those from urban areas.Keywords: evisceration, exploratory laparotomy, penetrating abdominal injur