Outcome of Teenage Pregnancy in the Niger Delta of Nigeria

Background: Young maternal age at delivery has been proposed as risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome, it occurs in all races, faiths, socioeconomic statuses, and regions.Teenage pregnancy can have serious physical consequences and teenage mothers are likely to be unmarried, poor and remain uneducated. The objective of the study was to evaluate risk factors associated with teenage pregnancy and compare the obstetric and fetal outcome to older parturient.Methods: This is a retrospective study performed over a period of 4 Years (January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2010) in Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital Bayelsa State, Nigeria where data was retrieved from the hospital records. All teenage mothers (aged 13-19) who had delivery within the period were compared with 180 randomly selected deliveries in the older age group (20-32 years) over the same period. Variables of interest were the demographic characteristics of the women, their obstetric complications and the outcome.Results: There were a total of 1341 deliveries during the study period, out which 83(6.2%) were teenagers. Teenage mothers were significantly more likely to be unbooked, (p = 0.000) Unmarried, (X=26.2; p = 0.000) had significantly more preterm labor, (P=0.000) and Caesarean sections (P= 0.014). However, there was no difference in both the perinatal and maternal mortality rates between the two groups.Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy in the Niger Delta is concentrated among women with less formal education, who are unemployed, unmarried and with inadequate antenatal care and obstetric risks for poor pregnancy outcome. The provision an appropriate contraceptive method and to look with priority after any pregnancy occurring among this age group cannot be overemphasized

Mass Media as Means of Initiating Community Developmental Programmes in Akoko North West Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria

The study examined the mass media as means of initiating community developmental programmes in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive research design of the survey type.The sample for the study consisted of 120 respondents in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria.  The study raised four research questions which the data were collected through questionnaire and also tested and analyzed with descriptive statistics. The findings showed that the mass media was the best platform for mobilizing people of the community for participation and also attracts government attention to communities for developmental programmes. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that residents’ collaboration and empowerment form of participation is encouraged by NGOs and development agencies

RSSI Based Indoor Localization for Smartphone Using Fixed and Mobile Wireless Node

Nowadays with the dispersion of wireless networks, smartphones and diverse related services, different localization techniques have been developed. Global Positioning System (GPS) has a high rate of accuracy for outdoor localization but the signal is not available inside of buildings. Also other existing methods for indoor localization have low accuracy. In addition, they use fixed infrastructure support. In this paper, we present a novel system for indoor localization, which also works well outside. We have developed a mathematical model for estimating location (distance and direction) of a mobile device using wireless technology. Our experimental results on Smartphones (Android and iOS) show good accuracy (an error less than 2.5 meters). We have also used our developed system in asset tracking and complex activity recognition

A Novel Real-Time Non-invasive Hemoglobin Level Detection Using Video Images from Smartphone Camera

Hemoglobin level detection is necessary for evaluating health condition in the human. In the laboratory setting, it is detected by shining light through a small volume of blood and using a colorimetric electronic particle counting algorithm. This invasive process requires time, blood specimens, laboratory equipment, and facilities. There are also many studies on non-invasive hemoglobin level detection. Existing solutions are expensive and require buying additional devices. In this paper, we present a smartphone-based non-invasive hemoglobin detection method. It uses the video images collected from the fingertip of a person. We hypothesized that there is a significant relation between the fingertip mini-video images and the hemoglobin level by laboratory gold standard. We also discussed other non-invasive methods and compared with our model. Finally, we described our findings and discussed future works

Effects of Tillage and Leguminous Species on Selected Soil Physical Properties and Maize

Optimal use of management systems including tillage and legumes cover crops is recommended to improve soil physical properties and sustain agricultural production.  Field study was carried out to evaluate the effects of tillage practices and cropping systems on soil physical properties in Ogbomoso, Southern Guinea savanna, Nigeria. The two tillage practices (as main plot) No-till (NT) and Tilled (T) were investigated under five cropping systems (CS) of sole maize (SM), sole Mucuna (SMu), sole Pueraria, maize+Mucuna and maize + Pueraria intercrop with three replications in 2013. In 2014, all the treatments were similar except Canavalia gladiata that replaced Pueraria phaseolus. Soil physical parameters determined were; bulk density, pore size distribution, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), soil available water (SAW), soil temperature. Also, maize plant height and grain yield were determined. Data collected were analyzed by analysis of variance. The result shows that Ksat was significantly (P<0.05) 54% higher on NT > T. SAW was 11% significantly increased on NT>T in 2014. A 1.5% increase was observed in SMu plots compared with SM plots in 2013, though the treatments were similar. Soil temperature was significantly affected by tillage and CS at 6 WAS in 2013, 6 and 8 WAS in 2014.The trend is NT >T while SM > other cropping systems. There was significant interaction of tillage and cropping systems on Ksat in 2014. Maize grain yield was 39% significantly higher on T > NT in 2013. It is apparent that long term tillage and cropping systems experiment would be required to detect changes in soil physical properties as a result of the soil management practices. Keywords: Degradation, No-till, Tillage, Soil Physical Properties, Maize

Pengaruh Penggunaan Media Pembelajaran Power Point dan Audiovisual terhadap Hasil Belajar Ipsekonomi Siswa Kelas VII SMPN 6 Siak Hulu Kabupaten Kampar

The learning result is the ability of the student after he received alearning experience, to determine the results of the study carried out using the test.Basically, student learning outcomes in social studies Economics at SMPN 6 Siak HuluKampar regency still low. This happens because teachers often use the conventionalmethod of learning which is still dominated by lectures so monotonous, and the lack ofuse of media subjects during teaching and learning process. Given this research, aimsto determine the effect of the use of instructional media and audiovisual power pointtowards learning outcomes IPS Economy class VII SMPN 6 Siak Hulu Kampar regency.This study uses primary data and secondary data. The population in this study were allstudents or a student of class VII SMPN 6 Siak Hulu Kampar numbered 80 students.samples taken in this study 54 students appointed intentionally (purposive). This studyshows that in general learning media in the form of power point, pictures and videossignificant effect by 19%

Stream Ordering As a Tool For Effective River Basin Development: Examples From Komadugu –Yobe River Basin, Nigeria

This study assessed the existing structure/delineation of the areas of coverage of the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) in Nigeria using RBDAs sharing the largest inland drainage system, Komadugu – Yobe River System, covering Hadeja Jama’are River Basin Development Authority and Chad Basin Development Authority. The main aim is to identify structural defects if any, and show the resulting operational challenges that the defects posed to development of the Komadu – Yobe Basin area. Stream Ordering method was used as a theoretical framework to assess the delineation of the areas of jurisdiction of the RBDAs. Data was obtained from downloaded satellite images of the Basin Areas, using ArcGIS version 10.0 and Erdas Imagine 9.2 software, as well as information from topographic and hydrological maps of the study area. The analyses showed that the delineation of the RBDAs in Nigeria was neither based on the hydrological regions of the country nor on the basis of the principles of stream ordering for integrated development in River Basin Areas. Secondary data were also used to gather information on the impact of RBDAs operations on the River Basin Areas. The results further revealed many operational challenges such as poor coordination in water resource utilization, water loss, loss in production, loss of local dry season shadoof farming opportunities and worsening conditions of living of farmers at project sites and fishermen in downstream areas. It is established that application of stream ordering in a nested hierarchy of sizes as demonstrated on the Komadugu – Yobe river system covering the basin areas of rivers Hadeija, Chalawa and jama’are serves as guide for overcoming the structural/operational challenges and improve the RBDAs performance in realizing their set objectives. It is recommended that the existing 12 RBDAs structure be collapsed into the 8 Hydrological Zones in the country, and project implementation takes into account the principles of stream ordering for effective performance. Key Words: River Basin, River Basin Development, Stream Ordering, River Komadugu-Yobe Basin, operational challenges

Instrumen Penentuan Kebutuhan Pelatihan dalam Penyuluhan Sosial

The information about training needs for the social service employee toward social extension recently has not been available; therefor it is important to design a training in order to realize the competence of social extension. Lacking of those information due to the fact that there is not a valid dan reliable instrument to collect data on training needs of the social extension. The objective of this research is to determine a valid and reliable instrument to measure training needs on social extension. The research was carried out in October to November 2008 at eleven regencies/cities at south Kalimantan. The total of sample 228 people, taken randomly from the population of social service employee in south Kalimantan. The result of research is four kinds of instrument which is used in this research valid and reliable to measure the traning needs on social extension. The suggestion is the decision to choose instrument which relatively the same about the level of validity and its reliability on the basis of dimension consideration to the training needs that want to know.Key words: training needs, social extension, instrument of training needs assesmen

Challenges in Developing Applications for Aging Populations

Elderly individuals can greatly benefit from the use of computer applications, which can assist in monitoring health conditions, staying in contact with friends and family, and even learning new things. However, developing accessible applications for an elderly user can be a daunting task for developers. Since the advent of the personal computer, the benefits and challenges of developing applications for older adults have been a hot topic of discussion. In this chapter, the authors discuss the various challenges developers who wish to create applications for the elderly computer user face, including age-related impairments, generational differences in computer use, and the hardware constraints mobile devices pose for application developers. Although these challenges are concerning, each can be overcome after being properly identified

CD4+ and CD8+ Counts in Liver and Their Correlation with Necroinflammatory and Fibrosis Grades in Chronic Hepatitis C

Background: Studies on the characteristics CD4+ and CD8+ in hepatitis C and their correlation with the severity of the disease have been rarely conducted. This study was aimed to obtain the mean difference between CD4+ and CD8+ count in liver to evaluate their correlation with fibrosis and necroinflammatory grades in chronic hepatitis C. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and July 2010 with 30 liver biopsies obtained from patients with non-B and non-HIV chronic hepatitis C who visited the Outpatient Clinic of Hepatology Unit at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in January 2008–February 2010. Fibrosis and necroinflammatory grades were determined using METAVIR methods on liver biopsies. The mean values of CD4+ and CD8+ in portal tracts and hepatic lobules in liver biopsy specimens were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed by using independent T-test and Spearman test. Results: There was a difference in mean CD4+ counts between portal tracts and the lobules (95% CI = 4.3-17.9; p = 0.002) and also differences in mean CD8+ counts in portal tracts and hepatic lobules (95% CI = 15.4-35.6; p < 0.001). There was no correlation between CD4+ and CD8+ counts, either in portal tracts or the lobules, and inflammatory grades as well as the liver fibrosis. Conclusion: CD4+ and CD8+ counts are greater in portal area compared to the hepatic lobules, with greater CD8+ counts than CD4+. However, both CD4+ and CD8+ counts are not correlated to the severity of liver damage