INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SKILLS ON RESEARCH OUTPUT OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA

This paper investigated the influence of ICT skills on the research output of academic librarians in public universities in the South-West, Nigeria. The study was guided by three objectives and three corresponding research questions. A survey research design method was adopted for the study. The total population for the study was two hundred and twenty (220) librarians in the South-West Nigerian universities. Hence, the total population was adopted. A questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Two hundred and three (203) copies of the questionnaire were returned and used for the analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive (frequency count, tables, percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential (simple linear regression) statistics. The results of the analysis revealed that academic librarians’ level of research output was moderate in quality and quantity. The result also showed that the level of ICT skills among academic librarians in public universities in South-West Nigeria was high. ICT skills have a positive and significant influence on research output among academic librarians in public universities in South-West, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended that academic librarians should endeavour to publish more textbooks, journal articles, conference proceedings, monographs, book chapters, and technical reports, in high rated journals for more visibility

Influence of Scheduled Analgesics Administration on Surgical Patients’ Pain Relief in Teaching Hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Pain is a serious problem for surgical patients during the post-operative period. Surgical patients receiving analgesics for pain management after surgery expect to achieve pain relief. However, current evidence revealed that some patients in teaching hospitals in Port Harcourt do not achieve pain relief during the post-operative period. When patients do not achieve pain relief, they could become upset and frustrated with the care they received, leading to complaints and damage to the reputation of the teaching hospitals. Hence, this study determined the influence of scheduled analgesics administration on surgical patients’ pain relief in teaching hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.The study utilized survey research design to answer the objectives. The population was 3854 comprising 250 surgical nurses, 1802 surgical patients and 1802 medication charts in teaching hospitals in Port Harcourt. Krejcie and Morgan table was used to obtain the sample size of 152 nurses, 317 patients and 317 medication charts. Multistage sampling method was used to select the participants. A validated questionnaire which was partly adapted, and medication charts audit checklist were used for data collection. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the constructs ranged from 0.74 to 0.90. A response rate of 87.1% over all was achieved. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Findings revealed that scheduled analgesics administration had significant positive influence on surgical patients’ pain relief (R2 = .075, β = 0.273, p <0.05, F(1, 144) = 11.626, p < 0.05). Further findings showed that on the basis of the criterion mean of 3.0, surgical patients’ level of pain relief was very high (M = 1.75). The study concludes that scheduled analgesics administration enhances surgical patients’ pain relief in teaching hospitals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The study recommends that surgical nurses should follow the analgesics schedule prescribed for patients after surgery to increase and sustain pain relief among surgical patients. Keywords: Pain relief, Scheduled analgesics administration, Surgical patients, Teaching Hospitals DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/88-07 Publication date: April 30th 202

Assessment of the influence of continuous and intermittent irrigation on greenhouse gas emissions from paddy rice

The impact of two water management practises on Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emissions from paddy rice fields was investigated. New Rice for Africa (NERICA 2) lowland variety was planted under intermittent irrigation (II) and continuous flooding (CF) water management practises. Two closed gas chambers (GCs) were developed and used for gas sampling from paddy fields and measurement was done conventionally in all the four growing stages of rice. Gas Chromatograph (GH200-9) was used analysing GHGs such as Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) and Oxygen (O2). Soil analyses were carried out to determine the presence of the following parameters viz: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn) and calcium (Ca). Others are Organic Carbon (OC), Moisture Content (MC), Iron (Fe), Chloride (Cl) and Electrical conductivity (EC) using standard laboratory procedures and ascertain effects of their availability on GHGs concentration levels. From the study, no appreciable CH4 emissions was detected during the four growing stages and under the two water management practises but other GHGs emitted were higher in CF compared with II. Soil nutrients such as N, OC, K and P also contributed considerably to emissions recorded on the two rice fields. The detection of H2S was also an indication that other gases apart from the common GHGs were present in rice fields. Although, CH4 was not detected, other GHGs emitted were more in CF when compared with II which suggested that II be encouraged as a mitigation strategy for reducing impacts of its emissions

Production of Biodiesel from Soybean Oil Using Calcium Oxide and Cow Bone as Catalysts

Biodiesel was produced from the transesterification of soybean oil using calcium oxide and cow bone (an animal waste bone that contains hydroxyapatite, a calcium phosphate mineral) as heterogeneous catalysts. The soybean oil used was characterized using gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCMS) and the cow bone catalyst produced was characterized using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The effects of the variation of methanol/oil mole ratio (9–15), catalyst concentration (10–20 wt/wt%) and reaction temperature (55–65 °C) on biodiesel yield during the transesterification of soybean oil with methanol was investigated. Reaction time of 3 hours and stirring rate of 500 rpm were kept constant. It was observed that the calcination of cow bone catalyst (at 800 °C) enhanced its conversion to apatite [Ca5(PO4)3OH] and increased the yield of biodiesel obtained. Biodiesel yield results revealed an optimum condition of methanol/oil mole ratio of 9, catalyst concentration of 15 wt/wt% and reaction temperature of 55 °C. Also, the results obtained showed that the performance trends of the two catalysts used were similar. And the close values of highest biodiesel yields obtained when the two heterogenous catalysts were used separately (yields of 94.8 and 92.2% using calcium oxide and calcined cow bone catalysts respectively) implies that the use of low-cost and readily available calcined cow bone catalyst is a promising alternative to CaO catalyst

Mathematical Modelling Of Ethanol Dehydration From Azeotropic Concentration Using Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Process

The demand for pure ethanol has become paramount for its various applications in biofuels and preparation of industrial chemicals, food and pharmaceutical products. Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) has proven to be an effective process and a more economical method for separating the azeotropic concentration of ethanol-water (95% ethanol, 5% water) than distillation. The modeling of PSA of ethanol-water azeotropic concentration on zeolite 3A was done. The unsteady state mass balance equation for the water molecule in the packed bed was done as well. The sets of Partial Differential Equations obtained from the model equations were solved with the Crank Nicholson finite difference method using MATLAB software. The simulated data was observed to be considerably in agreement with the experimental data.  The data obtained for dimensionless bed length z= 0.1 explains better the experimental result with Least Sum of Square Residuals (LSSR) of 0.06588. Breakthrough time of 600sec was obtained from simulated data while that of experimental was 680sec. The purity of 99.2705% v/v anhydrous ethanol was obtained

Phenotyping and genotyping of CYP2C19 using comparative metabolism of proguanil in sickle‐cell disease patients and healthy controls in Nigeria

Polymorphic expression of metabolic enzymes have been identified as one of the key factors responsible for the interindividual/ethnic/racial variability in drug metabolism and effect. In Nigeria, there is a disproportionately high incidence of sickle‐cell disease (SCD), a condition characterized by painful crisis frequently triggered by malaria. Proguanil, a substrate of the polymorphic CYP2C19, is a chemoprophylactic antimalarial drug widely used among SCD patients in Nigeria. This study aimed to conduct a comparative CYP2C19 phenotyping among SCD patients and healthy controls and to compare the results with those previously reported. One hundred seventy‐seven unrelated subjects comprising 131 SCD patients and 46 non‐SCD volunteers were phenotyped. This was carried out by collecting pooled urine samples over 8 h following PG administration. Proguanil and its major CYP2C19‐dependent metabolites were measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Metabolic ratios (MRs) were computed and employed in classifying subjects into poor or extensive metabolizers. Among SCD group, 130 (99.2%) were extensive metabolizers (EMs) and 1 (0.8%) was poor metabolizer (PM) of PG, while 95.7 and 4.3% non‐SCDs were EMs and PMs, respectively. MRs ranged from 0.02 to 8.70 for SCD EMs and from 0.22 to 8.33 for non‐SCD EMs. Two non‐SCDs with MRs of 18.18 and 25.76 and the SCD with MR of 16.77 regarded as PMs had earlier been genotyped as CYP2C19*2/*2. Poor metabolizers of proguanil in SCD patients are reported for the first time. Regardless of clinical significance, a difference in metabolic disposition of proguanil and CYP2C19 by SCDs and non‐SCDs was established

Design and Performance Evaluation of a Solar Dryer

One of the ways to combat food insecurity as world population rises is the reduction of food losses. Drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation and hence reduces food losses. Solar drying uses energy from the sun and an absorber material to carry out drying of produce. In this project, a solar dryer was designed, constructed and its performance was evaluated. The dryer has overall dimensions of 1000mm by 410mm by 700mm. The inner part of the dryer compartment was lagged with aluminum foil to act as an insulator. The solar collector made of galvanized sheet and the glass on top of it have an area of 800mm by 380mm. Fresh scotch bonnet pepper was used as the produce of choice. The pepper was dried in 2 experiments for 3 weeks each. 200g of pepper was used and weighed to measure weight loss periodically. Temperature and humidity of the drying chamber and the surrounding were measured with data loggers throughout the periods of the experiments. The results showed that the ambient temperature during the experiments was higher than the temperature of the drying chamber in the early hours of the morning between 4am and 10am. During every other period, the temperature in the drying chambers was higher than the ambient temperature. An average moisture content of 81.3% w.b. was removed from the pepper during the experiments. The average efficiency of the dryer was 28.4%

Multiple Sexual Partners and Condom use among 10 - 19 Year-olds in four Districts in Tanzania: What do we Learn?

Although some studies in Tanzania have addressed the question of sexuality and STIs among adolescents, mostly those aged 15 - 19 years, evidence on how multiple sexual partners influence condom use among 10 - 19 year-olds is limited. This study attempts to bridge this gap by testing a hypothesis that sexual relationships with multiple partners in the age group 10 - 19 years spurs condom use during sex in four districts in Tanzania. Secondary analysis was performed using data from the Adolescents Module of the cross-sectional household survey on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) that was done in Kigoma, Kilombero, Rufiji and Ulanga districts, Tanzania in 2008. A total of 612 adolescents resulting from a random sample of 1200 households participated in this study. Pearson Chi-Square was used as a test of association between multiple sexual partners and condom use. Multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to the data to assess the effect of multiple sexual partners on condom use, having adjusted for potential confounding variables. STATA (10) statistical software was used to carry out this process at 5% two-sided significance level. Of the 612 adolescents interviewed, 23.4% reported being sexually active and 42.0% of these reported having had multiple (> 1) sexual partners in the last 12 months. The overall prevalence of condom use among them was 39.2%. The proportion using a condom at the last sexual intercourse was higher among those who knew that they can get a condom if they want than those who did not. No evidence of association was found between multiple sexual partners and condom use (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.35 - 1.67, P = 0.504). With younger adolescents (10 - 14 years) being a reference, condom use was associated with age group (15 - 19: OR = 3.69, 95% CI = 1.21 - 11.25, P = 0.022) and district of residence (Kigoma: OR = 7.45, 95% CI = 1.79 - 31.06, P = 0.006; Kilombero: OR = 8.89, 95% CI = 2.91 - 27.21, P < 0.001; Ulanga: OR = 5.88, 95% CI = 2.00 - 17.31, P = 0.001), Rufiji being a reference category. No evidence of association was found between multiple sexual partners and condom use among adolescents in the study area. The large proportion of adolescents who engage in sexual activity without using condoms, even those with multiple partners, perpetuates the risk of transmission of HIV infections in the community. Strategies such as sex education and easing access to and making a friendly environment for condom availability are important to address the risky sexual behaviour among adolescents

Description and Composition of Tree Species in a Tertiary Institution Agricultural Faculty Arboretum, Ibadan, South-West Nigeria

The Arboretum of the Agricultural Faculty of a tertiary institution in Ibadan is known for its rich diversity of trees. Therefore, the study investigates the tree growth variables in the arboretum such as diameter at breast height (dbh), diameter at the base, middle and top of the bole, total height, merchantable height and crown diameter. The basal area and volume were then calculated per species and per family. Several models were fitted for the height – diameter relationship and crown diameter – diameter relationship and crown diameter – dbh relationship. Positive linear relationships were observed among the growth variables. The fitted models showed that cubic models exhibit a more reliable function than quadratic and linear models for crown diameter – dbh predictions as it has R2 above 0.75. Endangered species were observed too and this was indicated through the diversity index obtained. The highest basal area encounter belongs to myrtaceae family (9.61m2) while the lowest belongs to pinaceae family (0.24m2). The total basal area obtained at (31.72m2) from the faculty trees indicates that they are exhibiting better growth and yield

Mechanical and durability properties of recycled aggregate concrete with ternary binder system and optimized mix proportion

tThis study aimed to investigate the mechanical and durability properties of recycled aggre-gate concrete with a ternary binder system and optimized mix proportion. Two concretebatches were developed using a densified mix design approach (DMDA) to evaluate therequired mix proportions. Batch I have GGBS content varied at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and50% at constant w/b ratio of 0.45, while batch II concrete mix have varied water/binder ratios:0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.45 and 0.5 at constant GGBS replacement level of 30%. The fine aggregate(river sand) of the two batches was blended with fly ash at optimum loose packing density(FA + Sand) and superplasticizer (SP) was incorporated in the mix at a constant level of 1.4%.A control mix comprising of natural aggregate was also developed. The results obtainedshowcased the feasibility of producing structural concrete with recycled aggregates usingGGBS and fly ash. The mechanical and durability properties were best at 30% GGBS content and 0.35 water/binder ratio. The DMDA for mix proportion adopted for RAC contributed sig-nificantly to improving its properties when compared to NAC, especially at the optimumobserved RAC mix with compressive strength of 52 MPa. Also, the mix demonstrated goodpermeability resistance in terms of chloride-ion ingress and capillary water absorption