An empirical study of stressors that impinge on teachers in secondary schools in Swaziland

This study employed the descriptive-correlation research design to determine whether secondary school teachers experience work-related stress. Participants included 239 teachers selected from schools in the Hhohho region of Swaziland. A questionnaire was used as the instrument to determine the level of work-related stress experienced by these teachers. Findings showed that teachers were moderately stressed by their work. Contractual problems and the nature of their work were two aspects that were reported to be the main stressors for the sample, while the work environment and work relationships were only mildly stressful. There was a weak relationship between the level of work-related stress and the demographic variables of gender, marital status, and qualifications. Age had a moderate significant relationship with the level of work-related stress for the sample. The study recommends that stress management programmes for teachers are imperative to deal with the consequences of stress.Keywords: descriptive study; job performance; strain; stress; stress management; stressors; teacher stress; teacher welfare policy; work environment; work relationshi

Factors Hindering the Accessibility of Agricultural Credit by Farmers in Edo State, Nigeria

This paper analysed empirically the relationship between credit sources and agricultural zones in Edo State. The data used were collected from questionnaires administered to four hundred and fifty respondent farmers out of which three hundred and seventy three were valid. A simple random sampling was employed to select the respondent farmers. This study applied a combination of Chi-Square and analysis of variance to analyse the data. Chi-Square was used to establish a relationship between the sources of credit and location of agricultural zones while ANOVA was used to examine variations between zones and between problems. The problems encountered in processing loan application include; high transaction cost, administrative bottleneck that leads to late disbursement of loan. In securing credit facilities, the study also identified some problems such as; inadequate credit information, bank stringent conditions, location of lending bank and bureaucratic processes in the bank. These problems were found not to vary with agricultural zones. It is advised that farmers need to develop more cooperative groups to enjoy economies of scale

Analysis of an Intelligent Temperature Transmitter for Process Control

In recent times, transmitters that incorporate microprocessor to perform various intelligent functions have been developed by various manufacturers. This paper presents an overview of the evolution in transmitter technology while highlighting key factors which have influenced the evolution. It also identifies low power microprocessor and analog to digital converters working with the basic sensor circuit as the key propellants in the advancement of transmitter technology. Despite several sensors available in the process control industry, the authors focus on temperature sensors and analyze a typical Rosemount Intelligent Temperature Transmitter (RITT) with a view to identifying and comparing how experimental results vary from established parameters in the datasheet. Simulation results show that the resistance of the RITT’s Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) varies directly with applied temperature. Percentage error shows acceptable points at -0.04%, 0.04% and -0.1%. For higher percentage error readings, it is necessary to connect a resistor of value between 250Ω and 1100Ω between the current loop and the transmitter. The future of transmitter technology is however the wireless sensor node (WSN) incorporating the Sensirion SHT11 temperature sensor.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i3.2

Studies on the Effects of Media on Growth and Nutritional Composition of Pleurotus Tuber-regium (Fries) Singer Mushroom

The effects of different solutions and media on growth and nutrient composition of Pleurotus tuber-regium were investigated. The different solutions used are glucose, fructose, sucrose and Knop\'s solutions. The media used are cassava agar, cocoyam agar, corn agar, potato agar and yam agar. Glucose solution produced the highest growth in stipe height (9.50 ± 0.91cm), stipe diameter (4.46 ± 0.59cm) and pileus diameter (9.50 ± 0.59 cm). Knop\'s solution induced the least stipe diameter (7.20 ± 0.59cm) while sucrose produced the least stipe diameter (3.90±0.54cm) and pileus diameter (7.50 ± 0.95cm). Analyses of nutrient composition (%) showed that fructose solution induced the highest protein (13.6±0.99%) and fibre (15.6±0.36%) contents. The highest oil (15.0±0.17%) content was induced by glucose solution but it also induced the least protein (3.06 ± 0.09%) content. The best diametric mycelial extension (1.64cm±0.087), wet (1.105± 0.054g) and dry (0.768±0.008g) weights were observed on cocoyam agar. The least diametric mycelial extensions of 1.26± 0.087 and 1.33 ± 0.087cm were produced on corn agar and potato agar, respectively. Corn agar gave the least wet (0.845 ± 0.084g) and dry (0.74 ± 0.008g) weights. Keywords: Pleurotus tuber-regium, Growth, Nutritional composition, Sclerotium, MushroomBio-Research Vol. 6 (2) 2008: pp. 355-35

Seroprevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis, and co infections among antenatal women in a tertiary institution in south east, Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS are a major public health concern owing to both their prevalence and propensity to affect offspring through vertical transmission. Aim: The aim was to determine the seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), syphilis, and co‑infections among antenatal women in Enugu, South‑East Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of antenatal women at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, South‑East Nigeria from 1st May 2006 to 30th April 2008. A pretested data extraction form was used to obtain data on sociodemographic variables and screening test results from the antenatal records. The analysis was done with SPSS version 17 (Chicago, IL, USA). Results: A total of 1239 antenatal records was used for the study. The seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis among the antenatal women were 12.4% (154/1239), 3.4% (42/1239) 2.6 (32/1239) 0.08% (1/1239), respectively. The HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV co‑infection prevalence rates were 0.24% (3/1239), 0.16% (2/1239), respectively. There was no HBC and HCV co‑infection among both HIV positive and negative antenatal women. There was no statistically significant difference in HBV and HCV infection between the HIV positive and negative antenatal women. The only woman that was seropositive for syphilis was also positive to HIV. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis is still a challenge in Enugu. Community health education is necessary to reduce the prevalence of this infection among the most productive and economically viable age bracket.Keywords: Antenatal women, Co‑infection, Human immunodeficiency virus, Hepatitis C virus, Hepatitis B virus, Seroprevalence, Syphili

Accuracy of clinical and ultrasound estimation of fetal weight in predicting actual birth weight in Enugu, Southeastern Nigeria

Background: Estimation of fetal weight is important for antenatal and intrapartum management of pregnant women. Sonographic methods are not readily accessible in under.resourced settings, it is therefore necessary to study the accuracy of a clinical method of estimating fetal weight where this limitation (unavailability of ultrasound) exists.Objective: To compare the accuracy of clinical and ultrasound methods of fetal weight estimation at term.Materials and Methods: Clinical and ultrasound fetal weights were  estimated on 200 consecutive term pregnancies (37 completed weeks of gestation . 41 weeks and 6 days) at the University of Nigeria Teaching  Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria from 1st April to 30th November 2012. Accuracy was determined using percentage error, absolute percentage error, and proportion of estimates within 10% of actual birth weight.Results: Actual birth weight had strong positive correlation with both clinical and ultrasound estimated fetal weights (r = 0.71, P < 0.001 and r = 0.69, P < 0.001, respectively). Overall, both the clinical and ultrasound methods systematically overestimated the actual birth weight. The proportion of the clinical estimated weights that were within 10% of the actual birth weight was significantly lower than that of ultrasound method for babies of all birth weights (35.0 vs. 67.5%; P < 0.001) and for macrosomic babies (76 vs 100%, P = 0.009). For babies with normal birth weights (2.5-3.9 kg), ultrasound method error values were significantly lower than those of  clinical method for both the mean % error (5.4 vs 19.6%; P < 0.001) and the mean absolute % error (9.97 vs 20.6%; P < 0.001).Conclusion: The ultrasound method is generally a better predictor of the actual birth weight than the clinical method, and thus should be used in estimating the actual birth weight when accessible.Key words: Birth weight, clinical estimation, Nigeria, ultrasound estimatio

Assessment of the validity of rapid diagnostic test kits available in the Nigerian market for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Early diagnosis is important in TB disease control. The use of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits drastically reduces the time required for reaching clinical diagnosis and this has been successful in diagnosis of HIV, syphilis and more recently malaria to mention a few. What is the case for RDTs for diagnosis of tuberculosis? Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the performances of results produced by different rapid diagnostic test strips available in the Nigerian market for TB. A total of one hundred and eighty-four (184) subjects aged between 12-68 years were recruited for the study. These were referred from the chest clinic with a high index of suspicion of TB. Sputum samples were collected for AFB detection using the Ziehl-Neelsen and Auramine-phenol staining techniques. Blood samples were collected for serology tests using five (5) different rapid diagnostic test kits from different manufacturers, HIV status determination and evaluation of the haematological parameters we carried out. As a result, there were significant differences in the results obtained between AFB tests and serological methods with P<0.01 in all cases. The sensitivity and specificity respectively of the five different kits were 28.6% and 32.0% (Nova), 19.5% and 29.2% (Fistech), 9.1% and 27.1% (Diaspot), 12.4% and 27.7% (Abcon) and 12.4% and 27.7% (Global).finally, findings from this study show that these rapid serological tests are poor in diagnosing tuberculosis and cannot be recommended for use in this environment.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Tuberculosis, rapid diagnostic tests, acid fast bacill

Exploring the drivers of ethnic and religious exclusion from public services in Nigeria: implications for sustainable development goal 10

Purpose The importance of social exclusion and the disadvantage experienced by many minority ethnic and religious populations are rooted in SDG 10. To address this exclusion effectively it is important to understand their key drivers. This paper aimed to establish the key drivers of exclusion and their outcomes in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The methods involved a scoping review of literature and stakeholder workshops that focused on drivers of social exclusion of religious and ethnic minorities in public institutions. Findings At the macro level, the drivers include ineffective centralized federal State, competition for resources and power among groups, geographic developmental divide and socio-cultural/religious issues. At the meso-level are institutional rules and competition for resources, stereotypes and misconceptions, barriers to access and service provision. At the micro-level are socio-economic status and health-seeking behaviour. The perceived impact of social exclusion included increasing illiteracy, lack of employment, deteriorating health care services, increased social vices, communal clashes and insurgencies and vulnerability to exploitation and humiliation. These drivers must be taken into consideration in the development of interventions for preventing or reducing social exclusion of ethnic and religious minorities from public services. Originality/value This is a case of co-production by all the stakeholders and a novel way for the identification of drivers of social exclusion in public services in Nigeria. It is the first step towards solving the problem of exclusion and has implications for the achievement of SDG 10 in Nigeria

An investigation of the diversity of strains of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolated from cases associated with a large multi-pathogen foodborne outbreak in the UK

Following a large outbreak of foodborne gastrointestinal (GI) disease, a multiplex PCR approach was used retrospectively to investigate faecal specimens from 88 of the 413 reported cases. Gene targets from a range of bacterial GI pathogens were detected, including Salmonella species, Shigella species and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, with the majority (75%) of faecal specimens being PCR positive for aggR associated with the Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) group. The 20 isolates of EAEC recovered from the outbreak specimens exhibited a range of serotypes, the most frequent being O104:H4 and O131:H27. None of the EAEC isolates had the Shiga toxin (stx) genes. Multilocus sequence typing and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the core genome confirmed the diverse phylogeny of the strains. The analysis also revealed a close phylogenetic relationship between the EAEC O104:H4 strains in this outbreak and the strain of E. coli O104:H4 associated with a large outbreak of haemolytic ureamic syndrome in Germany in 2011. Further analysis of the EAEC plasmids, encoding the key enteroaggregative virulence genes, showed diversity with respect to FIB/FII type, gene content and genomic architecture. Known EAEC virulence genes, such as aggR, aat and aap, were present in all but one of the strains. A variety of fimbrial genes were observed, including genes encoding all five known fimbrial types, AAF/1 to AAF/V. The AAI operon was present in its entirety in 15 of the EAEC strains, absent in three and present, but incomplete, in two isolates. EAEC is known to be a diverse pathotype and this study demonstrates that a high level of diversity in strains recovered from cases associated with a single outbreak. Although the EAEC in this study did not carry the stx genes, this outbreak provides further evidence of the pathogenic potential of the EAEC O104:H4 serotype

Talking Less during Social Interactions Predicts Enjoyment: A Mobile Sensing Pilot Study

Can we predict which conversations are enjoyable without hearing the words that are spoken? A total of 36 participants used a mobile app, My Social Ties, which collected data about 473 conversations that the participants engaged in as they went about their daily lives. We tested whether conversational properties (conversation length, rate of turn taking, proportion of speaking time) and acoustical properties (volume, pitch) could predict enjoyment of a conversation. Surprisingly, people enjoyed their conversations more when they spoke a smaller proportion of the time. This pilot study demonstrates how conversational properties of social interactions can predict psychologically meaningful outcomes, such as how much a person enjoys the conversation. It also illustrates how mobile phones can provide a window into everyday social experiences and well-being