A framework for semantic driven electronic examination system for subjective questions

In this paper, a theoretical framework that incorporates a semantic dictionary (WordNet) into the current eexamination system to support subjective question is proposed. The WordNet serves as a medium of enhancing the current e-examination system in which machines can process, interpret, and evaluate information for enhance knowledge retrieval. The approach adopted is hypothesized to solve the semantic mismatch issues in subjective e examination. An algorithm that explores the synset structure of WordNet databas e and which gives meaning of any term based on the available synonyms is proposed. The framework is implemented using Java programming language and a prototype of the proposed system is tested and compared with the existing system. Results show that words that are synonymous to any given correct answer are equally recognize as correct option. Hence, the e - examination system reliability, performance and assessment of depth of knowledge of students have been greatly increased. Keywords: E - examination, subjective question, WordNet, semanti

EFFECTS OF DESIGN STUDIO CULTURE ON PERFORMANCE OF ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS

Architectural education will not be complete without due reference to its studio culture. This culture consists of patterns, habits and experiences expressed by students in their design studio. The design studio culture has been observed to affect students’ performance over the years. This paper examined the effect of design studio culture on the performance of architecture students. The survey method was adopted to obtain quantitative data from students in selected schools in south-west Nigeria through the use of structured questionnaires. The data gotten was subjected to factor and regression analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results gotten showed that the students perceived some other factors to be the core components of design studio culture, in addition to those already identified in the review of literature. The findings also indicated that only four of these components of design studio culture affects students’ performance and they are encouragement, Environment of the design studio, constraint and sacrifice. The paper thus recommends that awareness of design studio culture should be promoted through departmental policies as a way of improving students’ performance

EFFECTS OF DESIGN STUDIO CULTURE ON PERFORMANCE OF ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS

Architectural education will not be complete without due reference to its studio culture. This culture consists of patterns, habits and experiences expressed by students in their design studio. The design studio culture has been observed to affect students’ performance over the years. This paper examined the effect of design studio culture on the performance of architecture students. The survey method was adopted to obtain quantitative data from students in selected schools in south-west Nigeria through the use of structured questionnaires. The data gotten was subjected to factor and regression analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results gotten showed that the students perceived some other factors to be the core components of design studio culture, in addition to those already identified in the review of literature. The findings also indicated that only four of these components of design studio culture affects students’ performance and they are encouragement, Environment of the design studio, constraint and sacrifice. The paper thus recommends that awareness of design studio culture should be promoted through departmental policies as a way of improving students’ performance

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS Among Secondary School Adolescents in Calabar -Nigeria

Background:Awareness about HIV/AIDS has been created through the media, workshops, and peer education and printed materials. The aim of this study was to establish the impact of these awareness programmes on student. Method:An observational study using structured questionnaire among secondary school students. Results:About 181 (31.2%) of the adolescents did not know the aetiological agents of HIV/AIDS. Majority, 522 (90%) knew HIV/AIDS was transmitted through sexual intercourse. This level of knowledge was related to sex and class of study. Only 78 (13.4%) of them knew that HIV carriers might look normal. Majority, 519 (89.5%) did not know the features of AIDS. Only a few, 281 (48.4%) of the adolescents knew that avoidance of sex, keeping one sexual partner, 15 (2.6%), use of condom 101 (17.4%) and screening blood before transfusion, 31 (5.3%) could prevent HIV/AIDS transmission. Mass media was the main source of information on HIV/AIDS to these adolescents. About 191, (32.9%) of them believed HIV/AIDS cannot be prevented; 228 (39.3%) felt HIV/AIDS is common among the uneducated; 127 (21.9%) thought it is not common in Nigeria and 143 (24.7%) believed it is not common among the youths. Conclusion:Although awareness on HIV/AIDS is high among Secondary School adolescents in Calabar, the knowledge of the disease is still poor. Mass media as a source of information does not allow in-depth knowledge of the disease. Parents, teachers, as well as Health workers should be more involved in educating the youth on this dreaded disease.Fond: la Conscience de VIH/SIDA a \ue9t\ue9 cr\ue9e par la presse, les ateliers, l'\ue9ducation de pair et les mat\ue9riels imprim\ue9s. Le but de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d'\ue9tablir l'impact de ces programmes de conscience sur l'\ue9tudiant. M\ue9thode: une \ue9tude d'observation en utilisant le questionnaire structur\ue9 parmi les \ue9tudiants d'\ue9cole secondaire. R\ue9sultats: \ue1 peu pr\ue8s 181 (31,2 %) des adolescents n'ont pas connu les agents a\ue9tiologiques de VIH/SIDA. La majorit\ue9, 522 (90%) a connu que VIH/SIDA a \ue9t\ue9 transmis par les relations sexuelles. Ce niveau de connaissance a \ue9t\ue9 attribu\ue9 au sexe et \ue1 la classe d'\ue9tude. Seulement 78 (13,4 %) d'eux ont connu que les porteurs de VIH peuvent para\ueetre normaux. La majorit\ue9, 519 (89,5 %) n'ont pas connu les caract\ue9ristiques de SIDA. Seulement quelques-uns, 281 (48,4 %) des adolescents ont connu que l'abstinence, gardant un partenaire sexuel, 15 (2,6%), l'usage de pr\ue9servatif 101 (17,4 %) le criblage de sang avant la transfusion, 31 (5,3 %) pourrait emp\ueacher la transmission de VIH/SIDA. Les m\ue9dias \ue9taient la source principale d'information sur VIH/SIDA \ue1 ces adolescents. Environ 191, (32,9 %) d'eux ont cru que VIH/SIDA ne peut pas \ueatre prevenu; 228 (39,3 %) ont pens\ue9 que VIH/SIDA est commun parmi les incultes; 127 (21,9 %) ont pens\ue9 qu'il n'est pas commun au Nig\ue9ria et 143 (24,7 %) ont cru qu'il n'est pas commun parmi les jeunes. Conclusion: bien Que la conscience sur VIH/SIDA est haute parmi les adolescents d'\ue9cole secondaires \ue1 Calabar, la connaissance de la maladie est toujours inad\ue9quate. Les m\ue9dias comme une source d'information ne permet pas la connaissance approfondie de la maladie. Les parents, les enseignants, de m\ueame que les ouvriers de sant\ue9 devrait \ueatre plus impliqu\ue9s dans l'\ue9ducation des jeunes sur cette maladie redout\ue9e

Maternal and neonatal factors associated with mode of delivery under a universal newborn hearing screening programme in Lagos, Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emerging evidence from a recent pilot universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) programme suggests that the burden of obstetric complications associated with mode of delivery is not limited to maternal and perinatal mortality but may also include outcomes that undermine optimal early childhood development of the surviving newborns. However, the potential pathways for this association have not been reported particularly in the context of a resource-poor setting. This study therefore set out to establish the pattern of delivery and the associated neonatal outcomes under a UNHS programme.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study in which all consenting mothers who delivered in an inner-city tertiary maternity hospital in Lagos, Nigeria from May 2005 to December 2007 were enrolled during the UNHS programme. Socio-demographic, obstetric and neonatal factors independently associated with vaginal, elective and emergency caesarean deliveries were determined using multinomial logistic regression analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 4615 mothers enrolled, 2584 (56.0%) deliveries were vaginal, 1590 (34.4%) emergency caesarean and 441 (9.6%) elective caesarean section. Maternal age, parity, social class and all obstetric factors including lack of antenatal care, maternal HIV and multiple gestations were associated with increased risk of emergency caesarean delivery compared with vaginal delivery. Only parity, lack of antenatal care and prolonged/obstructed labour were associated with increased risk of emergency compared with elective caesarean delivery. Infants delivered by vaginal method or by emergency caesarean section were more likely to be associated with the risk of sensorineural hearing loss but less likely to be associated with hyperbilirubinaemia compared with infants delivered by elective caesarean section. Emergency caesarean delivery was also associated with male gender, low five-minute Apgar scores and admission into special care baby unit compared with vaginal or elective caesarean delivery.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The vast majority of caesarean delivery in this population occur as emergencies and are associated with socio-demographic factors as well as several obstetric complications. Mode of delivery is also associated with the risk of sensorineural hearing loss and other adverse birth outcomes that lie on the causal pathways for potential developmental deficits.</p

Heavy Metal Concentration in Fish Species Clarias gariepinus (Catfish) and Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia) from Anambra River, Nigeria

Studies have emphasized that the presence of heavy metals in freshwater fish represents a global public health issue. Nigeria, being a developing nation with less emphasis on the quality of seafood consumed by the residents, ranks this study very vital. The policy implication of this study is the advancement of a healthy population in contemporary Nigeria. Hence, this study assessed heavy metal concentration in two fish species, Clarias gariepinus (Catfish) and Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia), in the Anambra River. The sample included twenty fishes, of which eighteen were collected from the three sampling locations (the fish ports of Anambra River), namely Otu-nsugbe, Otuocha, and Ikemivite) while two control samples were collected from a pond about 200 m away from the river. The levels of heavy metals were determined using Varian AA 240 atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium and arsenic) in the sampled fishes from Anambra River exceeded the joint World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO/WHO) standard for fish and fish product consumption, while the concentration of chromium, mercury, and lead are within the permissible limit. The study also showed the distribution of the heavy metals in the fish organ varies among fish species. Heavy metals occur higher in Clarias garepinus than in Oreochromis niloticus, while tissue preference for heavy metal accumulation is in the order of gill > liver > muscle. It was recorded from this study that the heavy metal concentration in the fish from the pond is generally higher than the fish from the river for some metals. The high level of heavy metals in the sampled fish was attributed to heavy metals contamination of the river as a result of various anthropogenic activities such as mining, burning of fossil fuel and emission from the exhaust of boats/vehicles, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, discharge of effluent, sewage, and hospital waste. This study concluded that long-term consumption of fish from the river may pose health risks to the consumers due to the possible bioaccumulation of heavy metals, especially cadmium and arsenic. It was recommended that continuous monitoring of heavy metal levels in the fish and water, public awareness, and appropriate legislative provisions should be put in place to ensure that harvested fish and fish products may be safe for human consumption

Comparative analysis of rural households' wellbeing in selected states of the Niger Delta zone of Nigeria

The wellbeing of a household is determined by the level of utility accessed by individual members of that household. This study examined the level of household wellbeing in rural communities of selected Niger Delta states. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select respondents for the study. A total of 454 respondents were selected from the four sampled local government areas of Akwa Ibom (Ibeno and Ibesikpo Asutan) and Abia state (Ukwa west and Ikwuano) oil and non oil communities. Quantitative data was collected using interview schedule, while qualitative data was collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. About 37.4 (OPC) and 26.8% (NOPC) households always had access to material living conditions, while access to quality of life were 46.6 (OPC) and 38.9% (NOPC. Most severe constraint faced by households in OPC was poor access to poverty alleviation programmes (422), and unavailability of credit in NOPC (483). The result also indicated that majority of the households in both communities had low levels of wellbeing and consequently fell below the community poverty line. The study recommends that efforts to improve household wellbeing in the study area should focus on improving agricultural activities as it was discovered that these activities were still the dominant livelihood activities in the communities. These farm activities form the base for household food supply, capital for other livelihood activities and overall wellbeing

Combinations of palm kernel cake, yam peels and plantain peels as alternative energy source in finisher broiler diets.

Combinations of palm kernel cake (PKC), yam peels (YP) and plantain peels (PP) were evaluated as alternative energy source in finisher broiler diets. Four experimental finisher broiler diets were formulated such that diet T1 (control) contained no PKC, YP and PP. Diets T2, T3 and T4 contained PKC, YP and PP combined in the ratios 1:2:1, 1:1:2 and 2:1:1, respectively, replacing 50% of the maize in the respective finisher broiler diets. These diets were randomly assigned to eighty four, four week old unsexed Marshall Broilers in four groups of 21 birds each and 3 replicates of 7 birds respectively, for 28 days. Results obtained indicated that PKC contained higher crude protein and crude fibre (17.05 and 15.09%) and lower nitrogen free extract (54.20%) than YP and PP. PP however, recorded the highest value of nitrogen free extract (70.30%), and lowest ether extract value (2.06%). Broilers fed diets T3 produced numerically higher but comparable (p&gt;0.05) body weight gain (1341.50 vs 1551.40g) and feed conversion ratio (2.40 vs 2.41) to those on diet T1. Values for dressed carcass weights, thigh and back cuts produced by diet T3 were also comparable (p&gt;0.05) to that of diet T1. Breast and wing yield of birds on diet T3 was nevertheless significantly (p&lt;0.05) heavier than other groups. Diets T1 produced significantly heavier gizzard and liver than other groups while abdominal fat, heart and spleen weights produced by birds on diet T1 were comparable (p&gt;0.05) to those on diet T3.Diet T2 produced the poorest performance in most of the parameters measured. Replacement of 50% maize in finisher broiler diets with 1:1:2 combinations of PKC, YP and PP produced a 25.10% savings on feed cost per kg and 24.79% savings on feed cost per kg body weight gain.Keywords: Pperformance; broiler finisher; alternative energ

In vivo antiplasmodial potential of aqueous seed extract of Ricinus communis

Introduction: Ricinus communis is used by the people of Niger-Delta region of Nigeria, for the treatment of various ailments, especially malaria. This study evaluated the antiplasmodial potentials of the aqueous seed extract of R. communis, using Plasmodium berghei berghei. Methods: Acute toxicity study was carried out to determine the median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract. Antiplasmodial effect of the extract was assessed in suppressive, repository/ prophylactic and curative models, using Swiss albino mice (15-29 g). Mice were infected intraperitoneally with 0.2 mL of parasitized blood. Extract doses administered were 54.77, 109.54 and 164.32 mg/kg/d of the seed extract and each dose had 6 replicates. Artesunate (5 mg/kg/d) and pyrimethamine (1.2 mg/kg/d) were used as standard drugs, while distilled water (10 mL/kg/d) served as control. Results: Acute toxicity study produced LD50 of 547.72 mg/kg. The extract demonstrated a dosedependent reduction in parasitaemia in all tests. At the end of 4-day test, suppressive effect of 20.80, 49.00, 75.00 and 88.40% were obtained for doses 54.77, 109.54 and 164.32 mg/kg/d of the seed extract and artesunate, respectively. In the repository test pyrimethamine was more potent (72.26%) than the seed extract (9.47%–51.42%). The extract also exhibited appreciable curative effect. The activity of the seed extract was significant when compared with the control (P < 0.05). Mice treated with the seed extract and drugs survived for longer duration than the control group. Conclusion: The aqueous seed extract of R. communis has antiplasmodial potential and its active principle should be elucidated and further investigated to help in the ongoing fight against malaria