Spatial analysis of women employment status in Nigeria

This study considered the nature of employment that women engage in as a multi-categorical response. A multinomial logistic model with geo-additive predictors was used to examine the determinants and geographical variations using data from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Diffuse priors were assumed for modelling fixed effects, Bayesian p-spline for the nonlinear smooth functions and intrinsic conditional autoregressive prior for the spatial effects. Results showed that while a north-south divide existed in the likelihood of women engaging in all-year employment against not working, an east-west divide was found in seasonal/occasional jobs. Other important factors found to be significantly associated with employment status included women's age, educational level, marital status, sex of household head, and type of place of residence. Policymakers need to develop appropriate strategies to address the observed imbalance in the spatial distributions of women employment status in the country

Evaluation of an exercise field test using heart rate monitors to assess cardiorespiratory fitness and heart rate recovery in an asymptomatic population.

PurposeMeasures of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and heart rate recovery (HRR) can improve risk stratification for cardiovascular disease, but these measurements are rarely made in asymptomatic individuals due to cost. An exercise field test (EFT) to assess CRF and HRR would be an inexpensive method for cardiovascular disease risk assessment in large populations. This study assessed 1) the predictive accuracy of a 12-minute run/walk EFT for estimating CRF ([Formula: see text]) and 2) the accuracy of HRR measured after an EFT using a heart rate monitor (HRM) in an asymptomatic population.MethodsFifty subjects (48% women) ages 18-45 years completed a symptom-limited exercise tolerance test (ETT) (Bruce protocol) and an EFT on separate days. During the ETT, [Formula: see text] was measured by a metabolic cart, and heart rate was measured continuously by a HRM and a metabolic cart.ResultsEFT distance and sex independently predicted[Formula: see text]. The average absolute difference between observed and predicted [Formula: see text] was 0.26 ± 3.27 ml·kg-1·min-1 for our model compared to 7.55 ± 3.64 ml·kg-1·min-1 for the Cooper model. HRM HRR data were equivalent to respective metabolic cart values during the ETT. HRR at 1 minute post-exercise during ETT compared to the EFT had a moderate correlation (r=0.75, p<0.001).ConclusionA more accurate model to estimate CRF from a 12-minute run/walk EFT was developed, and HRR can be measured using a HRM in an asymptomatic population outside of clinical settings

Peta Taktil Interaktif Untuk Kegiatan Wayfinding Tunanetra

Tanpa pengelihatan yang berfungsi untuk menyatukan informasi spasial, tunanetra mengalami kesulitan untuk dapat melakukan wayfinding.Dampaknya adalah rasa takut, disorientasi dan mencegah tunanetra untuk bepergian ke tempat asing tanpa pendamping. Penelitian dilakukan untukmengeksplorasi peta taktil interaktif sebagai sarana untuk berbagi rute dan merencanakan perjalanan ke rute asing pada tunanetra. Artikel inimemaparkan proses desain sistem peta taktil yang dikembangkan beserta gagasan akan kemungkinan aplikasi teknologi pada produk.// /

Peptide classification using optimal and information theoretic syntactic modeling

We consider the problem of classifying peptides using the information residing in their syntactic representations. This problem, which has been studied for more than a decade, has typically been investigated using distance-based metrics that involve the edit operations required in the peptide comparisons. In this paper, we shall demonstrate that the Optimal and Information Theoretic (OIT) model of Oommen and Kashyap [22] applicable for syntactic pattern recognition can be used to tackle peptide classification problem. We advocate that one can model the differences between compared strings as a mutation model consisting of random substitutions, insertions and deletions obeying the OIT model. Thus, in this paper, we show that the probability measure obtained from the OIT model can be perceived as a sequence similarity metric, using which a support vector machine (SVM)-based peptide classifier can be devised. The classifier, which we have built has been tested for eight different substitution matrices and for two different data sets, namely, the HIV-1 Protease cleavage sites and the T-cell epitopes. The results show that the OIT model performs significantly better than the one which uses a Needleman-Wunsch sequence alignment score, it is less sensitive to the substitution matrix than the other methods compared, and that when combined with a SVM, is among the best peptide classification methods availabl

Electrodynamic Radiation Reaction and General Relativity

We argue that the well-known problem of the instabilities associated with the self-forces (radiation reaction forces) in classical electrodynamics are possibly stabilized by the introduction of gravitational forces via general relativity

Assessment of Heavy Metals Level of River Kaduna at Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

River Kaduna which serves as source of water for farming, domestic and industrial uses suffers enormous pollution as a result of industrial activities and other anthropogenic sources of contamination. The study determines the concentration of some selected heavy metal of the surface waters of River Kaduna, examines the pollution status and the implications of the heavy metal pollution on human health and the environment. The water Samples were collected using Grab method along the River Kaduna at five points – Bypass, Barnawa, Down quarters, Kakuri – Makera drains and Kudendan. Six samples during the rainy season and another during the dry season. The samples were taken to the laboratory and analyzed for chromium, Arsenic, Iron, copper, Berium, Aluminium, Cadmium, Cyanide and zinc using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results obtained from the analysis were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended standards in order to ascertain the magnitude of pollution and the quality of the water. The concentrations of the metals were observed to be higher than WHO acceptable limits. This revealed that the river have become contaminated by heavy metals discharged into the river especially from the industries and municipal wastes and may cause serious ecological and health hazards. The paper recommends that there should be proper monitoring of effluents, there is the need for mass education of people on the impact of indiscriminate waste discharge on the water quality, and a regular schedule for sampling tributary streams and the main river Kaduna should be established. Keywords: Heavy metals, Pollution, Hazard, Environment, Industrial Wastes and Effluents

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound to the Right Prefrontal Cortex Improves Mood and Alters Functional Connectivity in Humans

Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is an emerging method for non-invasive neuromodulation akin to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tFUS offers several advantages over electromagnetic methods including high spatial resolution and the ability to reach deep brain targets. Here we describe two experiments assessing whether tFUS could modulate mood in healthy human volunteers by targeting the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), an area implicated in mood and emotional regulation. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, participants received 30 s of 500 kHz tFUS or a placebo control. Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) assessed mood four times within an hour (baseline and three times after tFUS). Participants who received tFUS reported an overall increase in Global Affect (GA), an aggregate score from the VAMS scale, indicating a positive shift in mood. Experiment 2 examined resting-state functional (FC) connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) following 2 min of 500 kHz tFUS at the rIFG. As in Experiment 1, tFUS enhanced self-reported mood states and also decreased FC in resting state networks related to emotion and mood regulation. These results suggest that tFUS can be used to modulate mood and emotional regulation networks in the prefrontal cortex

PENGARUH MEDIA SOSIAL TERHADAP PARTISIPASI POLITIK KAUM MILENIAL DALAM PEMILIHAN UMUM DI KECAMATAN TARERAN KABUPATEN MINAHASA SELATAN TAHUN 2019

ABSTRAK                Pemilihan Umum (Pemilu) adalah sebuah proses untuk mencapai otoritas secara legal formal yang dilaksanakan atas partisipasi kandidat dan dikontrol oleh lembaga pengawas, agar mendapatkan legitimasi dari masyarakat yang disahkan oleh hukum yang berlaku. Sebagai salah satu instrument demokrasi, indicator dari Pemilu adalah partisipasi masyarakat, yang salah satunya adalah partisipasi kaum milenial. Keterlibatan kaum milenial dalam pemilu, sangat penting karena disamping jumlah mereka cukup signifikan, mereka juga merupakan generasi masa depan penerus bangsa. Namun, bagaimana mereka berpartisipasi dan factor-faktor apa yang mempengaruhi mereka dalam berpartisipasi perlu di identifikasi, agar kedepan bisa memfasilitasi mereka bagaimana menjadi partisipan yang benar dalam Pemilihan Umum. Penelitian ini mencoba mengidentifikasi seberapa besar pengaruh media sosial pada kaum milenial terhadap partisipasi politik mereka. penelitian ini dilakukan di kecamatan Tareran Kabupaten Minahasa Selatan. Temuan penelitian mengambarkan media social ternyata sangat berpengaruh terhadap kaum milenial khusunya dalam mengenali profil para kandidat. Kata kunci : Media Sosial , Pemilu , Milenial , Kecamatan Tareran   ABSTRACTGeneral Election (Pemilu) is a process to achieve legal and formal authority which is exercised on the participation of candidates and controlled by a supervisory institution, in order to gain legitimacy from the community which is validated by applicable law. As one of the instruments of democracy, the indicator of the General Election is public participation, one of which is the participation of millennials. The involvement of millennials in elections is very important because in addition to their significant numbers, they are also the future generation of the nation's future. However, how they participate and what factors influence them to participate need to be identified, so that in the future it can facilitate them how to become true participants in the General Election. This research tries to identify how much influence social media has on millennials on their political participation. This research was conducted in Tareran district, South Minahasa Regency. The research findings describe social media as being very influential on millennials, especially in recognizing the profiles of candidates. Keywords: Social Media, Election, Millennial, Tareran Distric

STUDI KUALITAS FISIK DAN BAKTERIOLOGIS AIR PDAM UNIT TOMBATU KABUPATEN MINAHASA TENGGARA

Air sangat vital bagi kehidupan manusia dimuka bumi ini. PDAM Unit Tombatu Kabupaten Minahasa Tenggara merupakan perusahaan daerah yang bertanggung jawab memberikan pelayanan terhadap pemenuhan kebutuhan air bersih di masyarakat. Air merupakan sumber daya alam yang sangat penting dan dibutuhkan setiap mahluk hidup. Tujuan dalam penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui kualitas fisik dan bakteriologis air bersih di PDAM unit Tombatu. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian survei deskriptf berbasis laboratorium, berlokasi di desa-desa yang menjadi sumber dan  dialiri air oleh PDAM Unit Tombatu, pada bulan Maret-Juli 2020. Populasi penelitian yaitu air PDAM Unit Tombatu. Sampel air diambil dari sumber air dan 3 desa dialiri air oleh PDAM Unit Tombatu. Sampel air dari masing-masing desa diambil pada titik terdekat, tengah, terjauh. Jumlah keseluruhan yaitu 10 sampel air. Variabel yang diteliti yaitu kualitas fisik berdasarkan parameter bau dan kekeruhan, serta kualitas bakteriologis berdasarkan parameter total coliform dan Escherichia coli. Standar baku mutu variabel penelitian mengacu pada Permenkes  No. 32 Tahun 2017 untuk ditentukan apakah memenuhi syarat kesehatan atau tidak. Uji kualittas fisik dan bakteriologis dilakukan di laboratorium Balai Teknik Kesehatan Lingkungan dan Pemberantasan Penyakit Menular (BTKL & P2M .Kelas I Manado. Data hasil penelitian dianalisis secara deskriptif berdasarkan distribusi frekuensi dan persentase.Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa seluruh (100%) sampel air tidak berbau. Seluruh (100%) sampel air memiliki tingkat kekeruhan dibawah 25 NTU. Dua sampel (20%) memiliki angka kuman (total coliform) 50 CFU / 100 ml. Dua sampel (20%) tidak mengandung Eschericia coli dan 8 sampel (80%) mengandung Eschericia coli >0 CFU / 100 ml. Kesimpulan penelitian ini yaitu kualitas fisik air PDAM Unit Tombatu memenuhi syarat kesehatan ditinjau  dari aspek parameter bau dan kekeruhan. Terdapat kontaminasi bakteri coliform dan Eschericia coli di beberapa tempat pada sistem air perpipaan PDAM Unit Tombatu sehingga air menjadi tidak memenuhi syarat kesehatan. Kata Kunci : kualitas fisik, kualitas bakteriologis, air, Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum ABSTRACTWater is vital for human life on this earth. PDAM Tombatu Unit of Southeast Minahasa Regency is a regional company that is responsible for providing services to meet the needs of clean water in the community. Water is a very important natural resource that is needed by every living thing. The purpose of this study was to determine the physical and bacteriological quality of clean water in the PDAM unit in Tombatu. This research is a laboratory-based descriptive survey research, located in villages that are the source and flow of water by the Tombatu Unit PDAM, in March-July 2020. The research population is the PDAM Tombatu Unit water. Water samples were taken from water sources and 3 villages were drained by PDAM Tombatu Unit. Water samples from each village were taken at the closest, middle, farthest point. The total amount is 10 water samples. The variables studied were physical quality based on odor and turbidity parameters, and bacteriological quality based on total coliform and Escherichia coli parameters. The standard quality standard of the research variable refers to Permenkes No. 32 of 2017 to determine whether it meets health requirements or not. Physical and bacteriological quality tests were conducted at the Laboratory of the Center for Environmental Health and Eradication of Communicable Diseases (BTKL & P2M. Class I Manado. Data were analyzed descriptively based on frequency and percentage distribution. The results showed that all (100%) samples of water did not smell All (100%) water samples had turbidity levels below 25 NTU Two samples (20%) had a bacterial rate (total coliform) 50 CFU / 100 ml. (20%) did not contain Escherichia coli and 8 samples (80%) contained Escherichia coli> 0 CFU / 100 ml.The conclusion of this study was that the physical quality of the PDAM Tombatu Unit meets health requirements in terms of odor and turbidity parameters. and Eschericia coli in several places in the Tombatu Unit PDAM water system so that the water does not meet health requirements. Keywords : physical quality, bacteriological quality, water, Regional Drinking Water Compan