ON A HYBRID NUMERICAL ALGORITHM FOR THE SOLUTIONS OF HIGHER ORDER ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

A hybrid Adam-Moulton type one step numerical algorithm is proposed in this paper. The numerical algorithm is implemented in the block mode. Characterization of the method in terms of convergence and region of stability is given. Numerical experiments per- formed reveals the convergence of the method at very reasonable cost

Healthcare financing for antenatal care and delivery services in a tertiary health facility in south-west Nigeria

Background: Universal health coverage and healthcare financing for maternal health services are essential for quality care, prevention of complication and a reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality. Objective: To evaluate the modes of healthcare financing for antenatal and delivery care among pregnant women in a tertiary health facility in SouthWest Nigeria. Methods: This is a four-year retrospective review of maternal healthcare financing models adopted by  pregnant/postpartum women at the antenatal clinic and labour/delivery unit. Data for health financing in  antenatal booking clinic for a four-year period from 2016-2019 and labour & delivery for a two year period from  2018 and 2019 were reviewed. The information collected were – number of women that paid out-of-pocket for  services, number of women that paid for services using health insurance and other means of payment during  the period. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23. Result: A total of 7,129 women accessed antenatal care services during the period under review. About 58.9% of the women paid for antenatal care servicesout-of-pocket, 36.6% were covered under the health insurance (social andprivate health insurance). A total of 2,881 women accessed delivery servicesat the health facility. About 66.4% of the women paid out-of-pocket for both caesarean section and vaginal delivery. Prepaid health  insurance was used by about 31% of the women. Conclusion: Health insurance has been available for over a decade; however prepaid healthcare financing model  remains less popular. Out-of-pocket payment constitutes the predominant mode of healthcare financing  for maternal healthcare among pregnant women at the tertiary health facility. The out-of-pocket payment  exposes the pregnant women and her family to financial burden and catastrophic spending especially in  obstetric emergency

Public Relations Strategy: A Tool for Building Organizational Corporate Image

In the business world of today, superior organizational corporate image is a strategic priority that every organization wants to achieve. To be attributed as excellent in business, the corporate image of an organization must be of superior quality, that is, reliable, apparent, sure, viable and able of create expansion and development. Meanwhile, public relations gives an organization the chance to exhibits its picture to the public, it is about moving the message to the general public. Building a corporate image is not an instinctive approach but an issue of strategy which leads to good reputation of the company, competitive advantage and uniqueness of the company in the market. This paper centers on the bond between corporate image and public relations strategy and how PR can be used as a strategy to build corporate image

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Maintenance Practice: Case Study of a University Power Generating Plant Unit

The study was conducted in one of the Federal universities in Nigeria. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the maintenance practicesin a power generating plant usinganavailability ratio method. The plant was placed under studyfor a period of six months.The operation records were obtained from which the availability ratio was obtained. Questionnaires were also distributed to the 21staff members in the unit and oral interviews were conducted to ascertain the maintenance strategy practiced by the unit. The study revealed that the unit has an availability of 61%,which is low compared to the standard availability ratio of power generating plants(99.9%). The maintenance practices of the unit weredeterminedineffective. Thisineffectiveness was attributed to poor documentation, low-skilled manpower, lack of a spare parts stock, and deficient operating maintenance strategy,as well aspoor maintenance funding and management policy. The study recommended autonomy of the maintenance unit, a betterinventory system for work materials and spare parts, practice of a predictive or condition monitoring maintenance strategy, training and retraining of the workforce and acquisition of relevant equipment,such as vehicles and computers,as measures that will, in part, improve the effectiveness of maintenance of the plant. The recommendationsof this study can be applied to the power sector in Nigeria,which is consideredby many to be grossly ineffective

Perception of Adolescents in Secondary School in a Rural Community in Southwest Nigeria towards Teenage Pregnancy

Unintended pregnancy among female adolescents is a global phenomenon and remains a significant problem. It occurs in both developed and developing nations but with variations in degree and consequences on the social factors involved. Globally, sub-Saharan Africa ranks highest in teenage pregnancy and lowest in contraceptive use. Recent estimates by World Health Organization show that 16 million girls aged between 15 and 19 give birth every year. In Nigeria nearly one-quarter (23%) of adolescent girls are already mothers or pregnant with their first child. The aim of this study was to determine the perception of adolescents in secondary school towards the prevention of teenage pregnancy. Some factors perceived by the students to influence teenage pregnancy include family type (73.9%), religion (73.9%), peer pressure (88.7%), and poverty (83.7%). The students also believed teenage pregnancy brings disgrace (78.8%), prevents one from finishing school education (83.7%) and could lead to abortion (73.9%). Students perceived that parents have a role to play in preventing teenage pregnancy by monitoring their children’s movement (69%), give sex education (70.4%) and know their children’s friends (69%). They also agree that teenagers too can prevent early pregnancy by not having premarital sex (76.3%), travel in groups to avoid sexual harassment (78.8%) and make their movements known (59.1%). Sex education that is responsible and medically accurate both in school and at home is important in the prevention of teenage pregnancy. Increased uptake and use of contraception will also help to reduce teenage pregnancy

Effect of Open Dumpsite on Undeground Water in Ganmo,Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria.

This study imbibes Geophysical survey involving electrical resistivity methods (Electrical Re- sistivity Tomography and Vertical Electrical Sounding), Physico-chemical analysis and Bacte- ria Analysis of the underground water samples. Geophysical survey were conducted around a 35 years old solid waste dumpsite in Ganmo, one of the districts in Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, located between latitude 8�2502500 to 8�2504100N and longitude 4�3603600 to 4�3606200E, with the view to assessing the extent of impact of the waste dumpsite on the quality of the groundwater in the study area. Electrical Resistivity Pro�ling and vertical elec- trical sounding stations were established using Werner and Schlumberger con�guration with half { currents electrode spacing that ranged from 1 to 100 m. A digital read out resistivity meter was used to acquire data in the area. A contaminant leachate plume was delineated in 2-D resistivity sections as low resistivity zones. The 2-D resistivity imaging was identi�ed as bluish zones of low resistivity 20.9 m with the depth ranging from 0.25 to 3.96 m in the entire inverse model sections. The low resistivity value of 20.9 m revealed that the groundwater around the dumpsite has been contaminated to the depth of 3.19 m compare to the measured water levels. The VES results were presented in terms of resistivity, thickness and depth. The VES interpreted results delineated three subsurface layers comprising topsoil, weathered layer and the fresh basement of which the three (3) layer geo-electric sections are both H-type and A-type sounding curve. The result indicated that the 3rd layer VES has high resistivity value ranging from 650.0 to 2264.3 m whose depth and thickness could not be reached. Three (3) water samples were collected, two samples from the closest hand dug wells and one sample from bore-hole for analysis. The hydro-physicochemical analysis conducted showed that wells are in good conditions actually the concentration of various parameters tested are below the WHO and FEPA standard. The result of the bacterial analysis of the water samples collected showed presence of bacterial species load of E. coli and Klebsiella which can cause severe health hazards. It is concluded that the water is not safe for domestic consumption. However water treatment is hereby recommended on all wells around the study area

Dynamic Response of an Inclined Railway Bridge Supported by Winkler Foundation Under a Moving Railway Vehicle

An investigation into the dynamical behaviour of an inclined railway bridge traversed by uniform partially distributed moving railway vehicle, and supported by an elastic foundation is carried out. The effects of shear deformation and rotatory inertia are taken into consideration. The resulting coupled partially differential equations are solved using finite difference method. It was found that the foundation moduli and angle of inclination of the bridge have significant effect on the deflection of the bridge

Peer Mentoring: Benefits to First-Time College Students and Their Peer Mentors

The experiences of first-year, first-time college students are impacted by a variety of challenges that pose a threat to student success and retention. One intervention universities are implementing to address these challenges are peer mentorship programs. While the benefits to first-time students of peer mentorship programs are well-researched, there is a lack of research on the benefits for mentors themselves. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived and demonstrable benefits for peer mentors working within a first-year seminar. This mixed-methods study assessed both first-time student achievement outcomes (i.e., first-term GPA and one-year persistence; N = 7,154) as well as the professional and personal development benefits of peer mentors (n = 52). Results showed first-time students who participated in the peer mentor program had significantly higher student achievement and peer mentors themselves had increased academic self-efficacy, improved communication, leadership, and interpersonal presence, and strengthened social and professional networks

Socio-Economic Benefits of Microgravity Research

Microgravity researches are conducted in low gravity environments. These low gravity environments can be achieved in a number of ways including parabolic aircraft flights, sounding rockets, drop towers, clinostat.  Gravity dominates everything on Earth, from the way life has developed to the way materials interact. The reduction of gravity causes significant changes in the chosen sample which could be cells, plants, micro-organisms and small samples from material sciences. The changes that occur as a result of the effect of microgravity have led to discoveries that have been found to be of socio-economic benefits. Socio-economic benefits involve benefits in wealth, health, economic, environment. Sustainable development in an economy includes economic growth, environmental protection and social equality. Space technology applications such as in microgravity stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life of people, in this way, it is beneficial to mankind.  Overall, products manufactured in microgravity environments have key properties usually surpassing the best terrestrial counterparts. Commercially, these products have attractive features that facilitate marketing. This review considers the various benefits of microgravity research in life-sciences such as in microbiology, pharmacy, and medicine

Comparison of automated versus traditional nerve conduction study methods for median nerve testing in a general worker population

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the validity of automated nerve conduction studies compared to traditional electrodiagnostic studies (EDS) for testing median nerve abnormalities in a working population. DESIGN: Agreement study and sensitivity investigation from two devices SETTING: Field research testing lab PARTICIPANTS: Active workers from several industries participating in a longitudinal study of CTS. METHODS: Sixty-two subjects received bilateral median and ulnar nerve conduction testing across the wrist with a traditional device and the NC-stat automated device. We compared intermethod agreement of analogous measurements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Nerve conduction study parameters RESULTS: Median motor and sensory latency comparisons showed excellent agreement (intra-class correlation 0.85 and 0.80 respectively). Areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves were 0.97 and 0.96 respectively, using the optimal thresholds of 4.4ms median motor latency (sensitivity 100%, specificity 86%) and 3.9ms median sensory latency (sensitivity 100%, specificity 87%). Ulnar nerve testing results were less favorable. CONCLUSION: The automated NC-stat device showed excellent agreement with traditional EDS for detecting median nerve conduction abnormalities in a general population of workers, suggesting that this automated nerve conduction device can be used to ascertain research case definitions of CTS in population health studies. Further study is needed to determine optimal thresholds for defining median conduction abnormalities in populations that are not seeking clinical care