Tinea capitis in a 21-day-old neonate

LH is a two-month-old baby girl seen in the outpatient skin clinic of the Family Medicine Department of the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Nigeria. She had a single erythematous plaque on her scalp of five weeks duration. The lesion was noticed soon after shaving the hair following the eighth day for the naming ceremony. Shaving of the head was done by a local mobile barber in the community. The scalp lesion was initially tiny but progressively increased in size. There was no history of fungal infection in the parents or siblings and other family members. There was also no history of keeping pets in the family.Keywords: tinea capitis; neonat

A MECHANISM FOR WASTE REDUCTION IN STRUCTURAL DESIGN PROCESS IN SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTRUCTION

Published ThesisThe construction design process (CDP) is made up of five distinct phases. The phases include the inception design phase, the predesign phase, the detailed design phase, the construction phase (CP), and the close-out phase (COP). With the exception of the COP, the above-mentioned phases in the CDP are fraught with non-value-adding (NVA) activities that are otherwise called ‘waste’ in the lean terms. These wastes hinder the efficient delivery of projects in the construction industry. To overcome this dilemma, researchers worldwide have investigated how waste in the CP of a project can be eliminated through lean principles. However, the findings in the literature indicate that attention is focused mainly on the architectural process (AP) while the structural design process (SDP) is largely uncovered. In an attempt to bridge this gap, this research investigated the various waste that originate from the SDP, the causes of the waste, their impacts on projects, and how such waste can be eliminated. The study was executed through an action research design. Primary data were collected from five consulting engineering firms (CEFs) in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The engineers have extensive experience in the SDP, and are affiliated with the Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA). To effectively identify, and confirm the various waste types in the SDP, a lean tool known as value stream mapping (VSM) was also deployed in the current flow of the activities in each phase of the SDP. That is, the VSM adopted in the study enabled the researcher and the study group in each firm to reaffirm the existence of the identified NVA activities in the SDP, and to explore more waste in the practice. Having compiled the various wastes in the system, the study proposes different strategies that can be adopted to reduce the identified waste. The proposed strategies were used to develop a lean or VSM mechanism that was used to execute a new project in one of the case study firms. The findings from the study reveal that waste exists in every phase of the SDP. Typical examples of these waste are waiting time, error, over-processing, excessive vigilance, motion, clarification, overproduction, work interruption, and rework. The findings in the study also indicate that some of the identified waste in the SDP, such as error and clarification, often lead to delay in the design phase, which consequently leads to delay in the start of the construction activities, and the completion time of a project. The identified waste in the SDP also contributes to poor project delivery and cost overrun. The study concludes that the lean concept can be extended to the SDP to eliminate waste in practice. This implies that the proposed mechanism in this study offers guiding information on how lean concept can be adopted to identify and reduce waste in the SDP. The mechanism also serves as a platform that allows structural designers to identify gaps in their implementation efforts, focus attention on areas for improvements and assess the benefits of the lean approach in the design and the construction phases of projects. The research recommends that VSM, and the five lean principles should be adopted by structural designers in every phase of the SDP for waste eradication

Heat and mass transfer analogy under turbulent conditions of frying

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is a popular vegetable across the world. It is a staple food item of many countries in South America, Africa and Asia where the population depends on the crop as an important source of energy and essential nutrients like vitamins A and C, calcium, iron and copper. It is also a very popular crop in North America. Deep fat frying is one of the favourite processing methods for sweetpotato. The method is fast and the finished product is desired for its unique flavour and taste. The main objective of this study was to establish analogy between convective heat and mass transfer during frying. The accurate estimation of the coefficients for both phenomena is challenging. During frying, the rate of heat transfer from the oil to the food surface is largely controlled by the convective heat transfer coefficient. This heat transfer coefficient is dependent on the interaction between the temperature gradient and the drying rate in a frying process. The temperature gradient and the drying rate in turn partly depend on the thermophysical properties of the product. In this study, thermophysical properties of sweetpotato were studied and modeled as a function of moisture content and temperature. The properties of interest are specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and density. A designed deep fat frying experiment of sweetpotato was carried out under four different oil temperatures (150, 160, 170 and 180°C) and using three different sample sizes (defined as ratio of diameter to thickness (D/L: 2.5, 3.5 and 4.0). Convective heat transfer coefficients under these frying conditions were estimated and computer simulation based on finite element modeling technique was used to determine convective mass transfer coefficients. Correlation between heat transfer coefficient and mass transfer coefficient were investigated with reliable statistical tool. Effects of sample size, oil temperature and frying time on heat and mass transfer were also studied. Specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of sweetpotato were all found to increase with increase in temperature and moisture content. Density decreased with increase in moisture content. Maximum heat transfer coefficient reached during sweetpotato frying was in the range of 700-850 W/m2.°C. Heat transfer coefficient of sample during frying increased with increase in frying oil temperature but decreased with increase in sample size. Same trend for heat transfer coefficient was observed for effects of oil temperature and sample size on mass transfer coefficient. Maximum mass transfer coefficient reached during sweetpotato frying was in the range of 4×10-6 to 7.2×10-6 kg/m2.s. No general relationship was established between heat transfer coefficient and mass transfer coefficient during frying but a relationship was established between maximum heat transfer coefficient and maximum mass transfer coefficient. A trend was also observed between maximum heat transfer coefficient and the corresponding mass transfer coefficient at that point

Widows as 'cultural tools' : translating widows' rights into local realities in Uganda & Nigeria

This thesis examines the persistent widespread discrimination against widows in Uganda and Nigeria that results from mandatory observance of harmful widowhood rituals, interpersonal violence, disinheritance, and forceful deprivation of property in marriage, in violation of and contrary to the provisions of international and regional human rights conventions and domestic laws. The thesis argues that international, regional, and domestic laws have not been effective to address the violation of widows’ rights because the terms in which these laws are expressed are not meaningful at the grassroots level. The thesis proposes social, cultural, economic, and legal measures to address the use of widows as cultural tools. In this thesis, I use the term ‘cultural tools’ to refer to the use of widows in Uganda and Nigeria, as in many other sub-Saharan African countries, as embodiments of cultural identity, especially in most parts of rural areas. Widows are used as tools to perpetuate traditional cultural customs such as widowhood rituals, levirate marriages, disinheritance, and widow cleansing. Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) proclaims that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. This provision is complemented by various international and regional instruments on discrimination and gender equality. Using the Igbo tribe of the Eastern part of Nigeria and the Baganda tribe of Uganda as case studies, my thesis examines to what extent widowhood rites amount to an infringement of the human rights of the widows in most part of the sub-Saharan African countries. The thesis examines the various international, regional, and domestic laws as they apply to or affect Nigerian and Ugandan widows either as a consequence of their status as widows or as members of the community. Thus, in light of the gap between international and state laws, on the one hand, and cultures and customary law on the other hand, this thesis draws insights from the concept of “vernacularization”. This approach combines the views espoused in Sally Engle Merry’s work and argues that to change the cultures and practices of customary law on the ground, initiatives must be taken at the grassroots level

Effects of Credit Accessibility on Performance of Tomato Market in Osun State, Nigeria

This study evaluates the effects of accessibility to credit on tomato market performance in Osun State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling method was employed to select one hundred and sixty (160) tomato marketers in the study area. A well structured interview schedule was designed to collect necessary data for this study. The descriptive, budgetary and logit regression analyses were carried out on data obtained. The study found that 88.8% of the respondents were female, the average age was 43.05 years, and 71.3% were married with average household size of 6.16 members. Result of analysis also revealed that 67.5% received formal education with an average of 9.81 years of schooling. On the average, respondents claimed 16.05 years of marketing experience. Only 37.5% of them claimed to have access to credit and the average amount of credit obtained within the last one year was found to be #21, 262.50. Transportation and finance were the most common challenges faced by tomato marketers in the study area. Result of logit regression analysis suggests that small scale tomato marketers are not likely to have access to credit. The result of OLS regression analysis indicated that amount of credit obtained by respondents and quantities of tomato sold per week have positive effects on marketing efficiency. The study recommends that tomato marketers should form cooperative groups/societies through which financial and transportation needs of members could be met. Keywords: Credit, Tomato, Marketing efficiency, Logit mode

The pattern of neurological disorders seen in a private healthcare institution in Lagos, Nigeria: a preliminary three (3) year review

Introduction: Neurology is a rare specialty in Nigeria where the current specialist to patient ratio is approximately 1:3000000. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of neurological disorders seen in the Adult Outpatient Neurology Clinics in a Private Healthcare Institution in Lagos-Nigeria.Method: The electronic records of all outpatients seen by the author in Lagoon Hospitals, Hygeia over a three year period (July 2014 and Dec 2017) were retrieved and reviewed. Neurological disorders were grouped into 18 broad diagnoses using the ICD 10 nomenclature.Results: Headache, spondylosis, stroke, epilepsy, peripheral neuropathies and movement disorders were the most frequent diagnoses constituting 28.47%; 18.32%; 14.58%; 9.60%; 8.65%; and 8.17% respectively. Among patients with headache, tension-type headache was the most frequent diagnosis (41.39%) while migraine headaches constituted 27.99%. Ischemic stroke constituted 84.11% of recorded stroke cases while intracerebral hemorrhage made up 4.67%. All were confirmed by neuroimaging studies.Conclusion: In the typical adult outpatient neurology practice headaches, stroke, epilepsy, movement disorders and degenerative diseases of the spine are five commonly seen disorders and therefore the most likely to offer the largest returns for investors in neurology and neuro-rehabilitative medicine.Keywords: Lagos, Neurological Disorders, Private Healthcar

Catalytic synthesis of ethanol from biomass-derived syngas

Syngas produced by gasification of biomass or coal can be converted directly to ethanol and higher alcohols by processes based on heterogeneous catalysts. Ethanol can be used as a neat fuel or fuel additive or as a hydrogen carrier. Rhodium-based catalysts have been found to be most selective for the formation of C2 oxygenates from the hydrogenation of CO when suitably promoted. Here, we explore the effects of Mn, Fe, and Li promoters on Rh/TiO2. Rh-TiO2, Rh-Li/TiO2, Rh-Mn/TiO2, Rh-Mn-Li/TiO2 and Rh-Mn-Li-Fe/TiO2 catalysts were tested for the hydrogenation of CO and a mixture of CO and CO2. Rh-Li/TiO2 is the most active and selective of these catalysts for ethanol formation from CO hydrogenation, due to the interactions between Li and Rh resulting in enhanced Rh dispersion, which decreases CO dissociative adsorption activity on the catalysts leading to increased CO insertion and hydrogenation of surface species. Mn promotion leads to a weakening of the Rh-CO bond, making more CO available for insertion but with limited hydrogenation resulting in higher acetaldehyde selectivity than ethanol. Multiple promotion leads to loss of overall activity although total oxygenates selectivity increases. Despite increased methanation as a result of the addition of CO2 to the feed, Rh-Mn-Li-Fe/TiO2 catalysts produced ethanol at a higher selectivity during the hydrogenation of a CO/CO2 mixture than for the hydrogenation of only CO, which was not observed on others. The Fe promoter is believed to increased reverse WGS reaction upon CO2 addition, resulting in increased CO and decreased hydrogen species on the surface, leading to higher CO insertion activity. The result is a higher increase in ethanol selectivity than in methanation activity, causing the EtOH/CH4 to increase. The selectivity to ethanol versus methane is limited in this work and even in literature. Although it might be anticipated that increasing H2/CO ratio during CO hydrogenation would favor methane, the kinetic studies in the literature, and our results reported here, show that the point selectivity for ethanol on Rh-Mn-Li/TiO2 actually increases with increasing H2/CO ratio on Rh-based catalysts. This may be attributed to the increased hydrogenation of the surface acetaldehyde intermediate to ethanol

Aspects of the population geography of the western area, Sierra Leone

This thesis is largely based on data edited from original field sheets of the survey of sample households in the Western Area, It provides a description of the structure and distribution of selected population characteristics, an explanation of the patterns observed and an identification of population types and areas using principal components analysis. In a brief original historical analysis, the population living within what is now the Western Area prior to the establishment of the 1787 settlement, is estimated to be about 3,000 persons. According to the 1963 census, 195,023 persons lived-in the area. The review of population growth in the 19th and 20th centuries and the urbanization experienced emphasises the significant role played by immigration in population growth and in an understanding of compositional features. The relationship between migration and population characteristics is hypothesised and the discussion of the different characteristics indicates that: (1) Age and sex compositions are sensitive to migration but, sex ratio is shown to be a stronger indicator of migratory tendencies shown by various population groups than age structure (2) The marital status and the family and household compositions are characteristics based on cultural and traditional practices which only slowly respond to modernising influences. There is some limited evidence of a more traditional attitude to marriage and household composition in the rural communities than in the urban. (3) Industrial and occupational structures are largely an outcome of the acquired traits of the population and there is a clustering of persons with particular traits in areas where they can best exploit them. Consequently, urban areas attract the educated, the technically skilled and the professionals. In contrast, the predominance of agriculture in rural areas means that the rural population is largely without a formal education. The effect of the differences in the nature of economic activities and skills is reflected in differences in levels of income by industry, occupation, ethnic or tribal group and by residential area. Four clustering’s of different unit areas, demarcated for the the analysis of data, are identified by the use of principal components analysis. First, Freetown and its immediate environs clustered on the ‘urban’ component to which a high population density, a high proportion of the working population in the professions and nearness to the seat of government (Tower Hill), were strongly contributing parameters. Second, was a cluster identified as a second zone of urbanization and made up of areas adjacent to the urban cluster (Lumley, Mountain district, Wellington) and also containg large centres at a distance from Freetown (Hastings and Waterloo Villages), This second cluster retained some features of the urban component whilst having additional features that are more clearly defined in the third group. The Macdonald group of villages in Waterloo district and Koya district clustered on the "rural' component with high activity rate, high proportion of the sample married and a high dependency ratio contributing strongly. Finally, York and Mountain district together form the fourth cluster In which the high sex ratio and a high proportion of one-person households are the main contributing parameters

The impact of municipal solid waste disposal in Ado- Ekiti metropolis, Ekiti-State, Nigeria

Soil samples from four public waste dump sites (three samples from each location at 10 m interval) and plant sample (root and leave) from Igbaletere dump site were analyzed for heavy metals such as Cu, Mn, Fe, Cr, Pb, Co, Zn and Ni. On the average, high concentrations of Cu, Mn, Fe, Pb, and Zn were found in the soil samples collected at the centre of the dump sites that is, 231.55, 292.03, 158.55 and 205.40 mg/g respectively. The lower concentration was obtained in the soil samples taken at distance 20 m away from the centre of dumpsites, Mn 64.20, Fe 110.65, Pb 213.00 and Zn 66.86 mg/g respectively. The upland location of these refuse dump sites to the adjoining wells and the potential use of the dump soil for compost could cause environmental hazard. In the plant sample, concentration of Fe (341.94 mg/g) was found to be the highest in the root, while concentrations of Mn (109.69 mg/g) the highest in the leaf. The concentration of heavy metals in the roots of plant from Igbaletere dump site was correlated with the concentration of heavy metals in the soil samples from the dump site. The value of 0.9985 correlations, 0.051 alienation and 94.49% incidence of forecasting established a relationship between the plant and the soil of Igbaletere dump site.Key words: Refuse, dumpsite, heavy metals, plants

Determination of physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals in water samples from Itaogbolu area of Ondo-State, Nigeria

Water samples from selected hand-dug wells and Ona River in Itaogbolu area of Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria were collected, physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals were determined using standard analytical procedure. The results of the physico-chemical analysis were obtained in the following range; PH (6.59-7.68), temperature (21.10-27.10oC), conductivity (300-1150 ƒÊ/cm), chloride (78.10-156.20 mg/l), total hardness (130-298 mg/l), sulphate (82.50-97.00 mg/l), TDS (0.02-0.09%) and alkalinity (0.92-2.45 mg/l). The highest value of physico-chemical parameters (compared with wells) was obtained in Ona River. The concentration of heavy metals (mg/l) in the well and Ona river samples were found in the following range; Zn (5.5-9.2), Cr (ND-0.4), Pb (ND-0.2),Cu (ND-0.4), Ni (ND-0.1) and Fe (0.1-5.3). Cadmium was not detected at all in all water samples. The results obtained fell within the maximum allowable limit set by World Health Organization for drinking water except for water from Ona river