Youth Development Agents' Needs: Challenges for Extension Volunteer Management Competencies in Nigeria

This study examined the needs of youth development agents as it affects extension volunteer managers' competencies. Youth development agencies who had registered with Global Youth Actions Network (GYAN) in Nigeria were used as the population of the study. A total of twenty nine (29) managers of these agencies with agricultural extension based activities were selected using purposive sampling technique. Structured questionnaire was administered online to elicit relevant information from the respondents for the purpose of the study. The study revealed that, majority (70%) of the respondents were male with an average age of twenty six (26) years. Out of the seventeen (17) areas of competencies identified among these managers, motivating youth volunteers ranked first, having a mean value of 4.07. The hypothesis testing carried out using correlation showed a significant relationship between agent's frequency of using volunteer administration and importance of volunteers in management (P<0.01) giving 0.653 while a significant relationship of 0.390 (P< 0.05) was also observed between importance of volunteers in management and training among agencies managers. It was also observed that volunteer agents could benefit from educational opportunities, resource materials and other support services in each of the areas of competencies. Regular training was therefore recommended for youth development agents to enable them update, improve and learn new strategies in the application of their competencies for extension service delivery.Keywords: Youth, Development, Agents' needs, Volunteer management, Competencies

Predictive models of forest logging residues of Triplochiton scleroxylon in Ondo Tropical Rainforest, Nigeria

In this study, biomass yield residue was quantified and equations developed for Triplochiton scleroxylon, in secondary forests, Ondo State, Nigeria. Plotless sampling technique was used for the study. A total of 31 Triplochiton scleroxylon were randomly selected. Tree identification and detailed growing stock of outside bark diameters at breast height (dbh), base, middle, top and total height were measured for selected trees. Each tree was felled as close to the ground as  possible. The logging  residues were categorized into stump, stem, branch and foliage. Fresh weights of representative samples from the various logging residues components were obtained and dry-weights to freshweights ratio of the various biomass components were calculated. The results showed that the mean biomass of the residues for Triplochiton scleroxylon was 66.40 kg, 312.98 kg, and 19.56 kg for stem, branches and foliage respectively which indicated that the branch components generated more logging residue than other components. The proportion of residues generated for Triplochiton scleroxylon ranged from 12.00% to 49.02%. The  biomass models for logging residue were fitted using dbh predictor. The model  developed indicated that logarithmic functions performed better than other form of equation. The findings of this study revealed that there is significant logging  residues left to waste in the forest after timber harvest and quantifying this logging residue in terms of biomass model can serve as management tools in ensuring useful planning for economic utilization of the residues.Key words: Logging residue, biomass yield, biomass model, <i>Triplochiton scleroxylon</i&gt

Manual In-Line Stabilization of the Cervical Spine Increases the Rate of Difficult Oro-Tracheal Intubation in Adults - A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Patients with traumatic brain injury present with loss of consciousness andsuspected cervical fracture. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of difficult orotracheal intubation in surgical patients undergoing various procedures when manual in-line neck immobilization technique was applied. Methods: This was a randomized prospective study at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. A total of 100 patients were enrolled into the study and were allocated into 2 groups of either Manual In-Line Stabilization (MILS) or Early Morning Sniffing position (EMSP) techniques during intubation. Successful or unsuccessful intubations within 30secs, as well as time to successful intubation were the outcome measures. Results: The mean ± SD intubation time for successful intubation was similar in both groups (MILS=17.9±7.7 seconds, EMSP=14.6±6.6 seconds (p=0.359)).There were more failed intubations in the MILS group (27%) and (2%) in the EMSP group (p=0.001). Conclusion: The study showed that patients who had MILS had more failed intubations than those that were intubated with the EMSP technique. With this level of failed intubations there is need for provision of difficult airway laryngoscopic adjuncts for patients with diagnosed cervical fracture and uncleared cervical injury who require orotracheal intubation.Key Words: Manual inline stabilization, Cervical spine injury, Orotracheal intubation, Difficult intubatio

Socio-Demographic Variables and Personality Profiles of Patients with Substance Use Disorder in a Drug Abuse Treatment Facility in Nigeria

Studies in Nigeria on substance abuse have examined the use/abuse/misuse of substances among selected groups. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between sociodemographic variables, personality types and substance abuse/misuse among patients admitted in a drug abuse facility. This cross-sectional study carried out between 2008 and 2011 with 65 participants who underwent psychological assessment in the drug abuse unit of Federal Neuropsychiatry, Uselu made use of a semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire to get information on age, gender, occupation, level of education, marital status, duration of substance use and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Version-2 (MMPI-2) to assess patients’ personality. It was concluded that male, unemployed, single, likely to be in a tertiary institution or holds a certificate of one tertiary institution are more likely than other categories to abuse psychoactive substance; while antisocial, passive-dependent and passive-aggressive personality appear to be the most common personality type. Keywords: Sociodemographic; personality profile; substance use disorder, substance abuse patients

Ovarian morphology and estradiol-17beta concentrations in serum and follicular fluid of slaughtered zebu cattle in Ibadan, Nigeria

Over a period of three months (January to March), ovarian morphology and estradiol-17β concentrations in serum and follicular fluid were studied in 110 Bunaji (Bos indicus) cows slaughtered at Bodija abattoir, Ibadan, Nigeria, in order to determine the reproductive state and history of such cattle. Macroscopic examination of the ovaries revealed that 70 (63.6%) of the cows were undergoing active oestrous cycle. Of these, 42 (60.0%) had large ovarian follicles of greater than 3 mm diameter, while 22 (31.4%) had corpora lutea (CL). Six animals (8.6%) had corpora haemorrhagica. Of the 22 animals exhibiting CL, 12 (54.5%) had CL of pregnancy and were with calf, while 10 (45.5%) others had those of normal oestrous cycle. Corpora albicans (CA) counts showed that 90 (81.8%) of the cows had calved at least once, the mean being 4.5 calves per cow. Fifty-eight cows (52.7%) had calved 0-2 times, 34 (30.9%) 3-5 times and 18 (16.3%) 6-8 times. The mean estradiol-17β levels in follicular fluid (1669.6 ± 9.7 pg/mL) were significantly higher than that of the serum (85.5 ± 0.8 pg/mL). The non-pregnant cyclic with corpus luteum group had the highest follicular estradiol concentration (2558.8 ± 8.9 pg/mL), while the pregnant group had the lowest (858.5 ± 6.8 pg/mL). The mean serum estradiol level among pregnant cows was 115.7 ± 1.2 pg/mL. Low levels of serum estradiol-17β were consistently recorded among animals having active ovaries and good volume of follicular fluid, indicating that they were reproductively active and were being sold for reasons other than infertility

Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment at Ipinsa-Okeodu Area, Near Akure, Southwestern Nigeria, using GODT

Aquifer vulnerability assessment has been undertaken at Ipinsa and Oke-Odu area, southwestern Nigeria using geoelectrically derived GODT model. One hundred and two (102) vertical electrical soundings (VES) data utilizing Schlumberger array were carried out at half-current electrode separation (AB/2) varied between 1-150 m. Qualitative interpretation of the VES data using partial curve matching and computer-aided inversion techniques yielded geo-electric parameters (layer resistivity and thickness) that were used in delineating the aquifers in the area and evaluating their vulnerability to pollutants. The geoelectric sections revealed that the area is underlain by three to four geo-electric layers namely the topsoil, weathered layer, partly weathered/fractured basement and fresh basement. The weathered layer and partly weathered/fractured basement constitute the major aquifers in the area. The GODT vulnerability model depicts that the area is characterized by four vulnerability zones which are very low, low, moderate and high vulnerable zones. According to the model, about 10% of the area is highly vulnerable while about 35% is of moderate rating. The low and very low ratings constitute 40% and 15% of the area respectively. Keywords: Aquifer vulnerability, GODT model, vertical electrical sounding and geoelectric parameters

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF M-QAM SIGNALINGS SCHEMES PERFORMANCE OVER FAST AND FREQUENCY NON-SELECTIVE RAYLEIGH FADING CHANNEL WITH MRC RECEIVER

This paper presents a comparative analysis of some digital modulation signaling schemes over fast and frequency non selective Rayleigh fading channel with multiplicative distortion, addictive white Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and maximal ratio combining (MRC) at the receiver. Three M-ary (with m=4, 8, 16) modulation schemes are used as the channel input and a comparative analysis is carried out in terms of bit error rate (BER) averaged over the iterations (ABER) versus the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) for different orders of the M-ary over the channel and the processing of the received signal by an MRC were simulated using MATLAB 7.0 application package. The result show that, of the three modulation schemes considered, the ABER performance for 4. Level quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signal is the best followed by that for 8QAM, while an excessive degradation is noticeable in the ABER performance of the 16QAM scheme when compared with the performances of the other two schemes even when an MRC receiver is used

Presumed optic disc melanocytoma in a young Nigerian: a diagnostic challenge

Optic disc melanocytoma (ODM) is a rare, benign, deeply pigmented ocular tumor arising from melanocytes within the optic disc or from any part of the uvea. It occurs more in dark skinned individuals and females. We report a 17‑year‑old female who presented to our outpatient department with a history of poor distant vision from childhood, worse in the right eye. Ocular examination revealed visual acuity of 6/36 and 6/18 in the right and left eyes, respectively, which improved to 6/9 bilaterally with a pinhole. There was a relative afferent pupillary defect in the right eye, and a posterior segment examination of same eye showed a raised pigmented optic disc lesion occupying the inferior two-thirds of the optic disc and obscuring the lower disc margin. Both the anterior and posterior segments of the left eye were normal. A diagnosis of presumed ODM was made. Spectacles were prescribed, and the patient was counseled on regular follow‑up to monitor progression. ODM should be considered in patients presenting with a pigmented optic disc lesion. Regular follow‑up with fundus photography is advocated.Keywords: Melanocytoma, optic disc, pigmented ocular tumo

Comparative Analysis of Blind Detectors in a Cluster-Based Cooperative Spectrum Hole Detection

Prevention of authorized users from interference determine the accurate detection of Spectrum Hole (SH) is of great importance in a Spectrum Shearing Network (SSN). However, multipath fading and shadowing affect the accurate detection of SH resulting in interference. Cluster-Based Cooperative Spectrum Hole Detection (CBCSHD) used to address this problem depends on detector and number of clusters. Hence, comparative analysis of blind detectors in CBCSHD is carried out to evaluate its performance with various blind detectors and number of clusters. The CBCSHD is carried out using six Cognitive Users (CUs) that jointly carry out detection of SH and each of the CUs performs local sensing using Eigenvalue Detector (EVD), Energy Detector (ED) and Cyclostationary Detector (CD). The CUs form clusters to reduce reporting overhead between CUs. The local sensing results from individual user are combined at the Cluster Head (CH) using majority fusion rule. The performance of each of the detectors in CBCSHD is evaluated using Probability of Detection (PD) and Sensing Time (ST). PD values of 0.7661, 0.7160 and 0.6229 are obtained at SNR of 4 dB for ED, CD and EVD, respectively, while ST values of 3.0707, 3.7163 and 4.0907 s are obtained for ED, CD and EVD, respectively. The results obtained show that ED has the highest detection rate, followed by CD, while EVD shows the worst detection rate

Comparison of Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status of Children in Suburban with those in Rural Population of Southwestern Nigeria

Objective: To compare prevalence of dental caries, oral hygiene status and associated risk factors of children in suburban and rural communities in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Material and Methods: Secondary data was extracted from cross-sectional researches conducted in two study locations involving 8 to 12 year olds.  Data retrieved included age, gender, family structure, socioeconomic status, oral hygiene and dental caries. Caries assessment was done using WHO Oral Health Survey methods. Oral hygiene data was collected using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) by Greene and Vermillion. Statistical significance was established at p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in Group A and Group B study participants were 13.4% and 22.2% respectively. Children from rural community had significant higher caries prevalence (p=0.00) and poorer oral hygiene (P=0.00) compare with their counterparts in the suburban community. There was a significant association between oral hygiene, age and dental caries in suburban participants (p=0.02) while among the rural participants there was significant association between gender and dental caries (p=0.04). Children with poor oral hygiene have increased odds of having dental caries compared to children with good oral hygiene in the two study communities. Conclusion: Dental caries was more prevalent among the rural dwellers than the sub-urban dwellers. There is a need to make oral health care services/products available, accessible and affordable for the rural community