Survey of Gross Alpha Radioactivity in Bore Hole and Well Water in Sokoto City North-Western Nigeria

A survey of the gross alpha radioactivity in drinking water from wells and bore holes in Sokoto city was carried out. Forty samples were drawn at random from locally dug wells and bore holes in Sokoto city, Northern Nigeria. The samples were analyzed using the Eurysis system- eight channel gas filled proportional counter. The result shows that the range of alpha activity varied from 0.01 to 6.00Bq/L, with a geometric mean of 0.26Bq/L. Seventy five percent (75%) and 25% of alpha activity were respectively below and above the USEPA contaminant limit of 0.55Bq/L radioactivity in water. Thirty two and half percent (32.5%) and 67.5% of the alpha activity were respectively below and above the contaminant limit of 0.5Bq/L, as set out by WHO. The gross alpha effective dose was 0.068msv/y (WHO range is 0.04-0.1mSv/y).Keywords: Gross alpha, activity, contaminant limit, Effective dose, geometric mean

Fan Speed Control of Processor Based On Environmental Temperature

Temperature is a physical property that is an essential part of life and Maintaining control of it is of paramount importance to man. Temperature is measured with various types of measuring instruments. But beyond the need to measure temperature, it must also be controlled and monitored. In an industrial setting with heavy equipment that need a round the clock cooling system so as to perform optimally without breakdown, it is important to have a mechanism that monitors the temperature situation, one that can detect the slightest threat to the condition of the systems as regards temperature change. Also temperature control can be used in personal computers to prevent overheating of the processor. This work involves sensing the temperature level of an environment and if a temperature out of range is detected, the fan speed increases to maximum. W hen the temperature drops below a threshold again, the fans are turned back off. The circuit is designed using a temperature sensor that is a thermistor. The temperature transducer is used to sense the temperature of the environment at that point in time and an indication shown on an LED

Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Network Techniques for~ Optical Character Recognition- A Survey

Character recognition, a digitization concept, is an important research area in the field of image processing, and pattern recognition. Optical character recognition is a method of digitizing printed texts so that they can be searched electronically, stored compactly and used in machine processes such as text-to-speech, and machine translation. This paper describes the techniques for converting a type or handwritten document into machine readable form using BackPropagation Artificial Neural Networks

Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Catfish Farming in Edo State, Nigeria

This study examined the technical efficiency (TE) of fish farming in Edo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 respondents from whom data was collected using well-structured questionnaire and interview schedules. These were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production function. The result showed that the TE of the farmers ranged from 0.46 to 0.99, with a mean of 0.95 at which 77% of them were operating. The efficiency was significantly (p<influenced positively by stocking rate and negatively by the farmers’ age, educational level as well as poor access to extension services. Serious constraints that affected optimum production include high cost of feed, limited capital, poor power supply, high cost of pond construction, disposal of effluents, increased fish price created by middlemen and inadequate water supply. Determination of efficiency of resource use revealed that pond size, fingerlings, feeds and  fixed cost of items were underutilized while labour and operating cost were over utilized.  Farmers’ access to suitable extension services and the implementation of policies aimed at tackling the detected constraints would help to increase the efficiency of fish farming in the state. Keywords: Technical efficiency, Fish farming, Pond, Resource use, Edo Stat

Maternal Behaviour in Selecting Traditional Birth Attendants to Assist the Delivery in Kelinjau Ulu Village Muara Ancalong East Kutai East Kalimantan

Latar Belakang: Rendahnya pertolongan persalinan yang dibantu oleh tenaga kesehatan merupakan salah satu penyebab utama kematian ibu, di sisi lain peran dukun bayi masih dominan terutama di daerah pedesaan. Tujuan: Mengidentifikasi perilaku ibu dan budaya yang mempengaruhi ibu dalam memilih dukun bayi. Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif. Wawancara mendalam dilakukan terhadap 10 ibu yang memiliki pengalaman persalinan dibantu oleh dukun bayi, 2 dukun bayi, dan 1 tenaga kesehatan. Hasil: Dukun bayi memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakat yang mendasar dengan mendukung wanita selama kehamilan, persalinan, dan periode postpartum. Dukun bayi membantu persalinan sebagai perbuatan sukarela dan tidak akan dibayar, tetapi menerima bahan makanan atau uang sebagai tanda penghargaan. Dukun bayi juga memiliki peran penting pada upacara kelahiran. Ibu juga memiliki pendapat bahwa persalinan oleh tenaga kesehatan cenderung menyakitkan, mereka merasa takut dan malu untuk membuka vagina mereka saat melahirkan dengan bidan. Selain itu, tidak adanya tenaga kesehatan akibat kendala geografis membuat ibu melahirkan dengan dukun bayi. Kesimpulan: Disarankan untuk mempromosikan manfaat kelahiran di fasilitas kesehatan atau dibantu dengan petugas kesehatan ketika ibu memiliki perawatan antenatal. Pada pelatihan dukun bayi, tenaga kesehatan harus mengarahkan peran dukun bayi hanya sebagai seorang pembantu yang memberikan dukungan emosional dan sosial bagi perempuan selama persalinan dan melahirkan

Tradisi Kepercayaan Masyarakat Pesisir Mengenal Kesehatan Ibu Di Desa Tanjung Limau Muara Badak Kalimantan Timur Tahun 2008

Background: Reproductive health covers biological and socio-cultural aspects. In the local context of East Kalimantan, the traditional culture may affect the behavior including antenatal, delivery and postpartum care, either in positive or negative manner. Objective: To explore community perspectives related to reproductive health particularly maternal health and its cultural beliefs. Methode: A qualitative research using phenomenology approach employed focus group discussion (FGD) and in-depth interview. FGD was held separately for pregnant women and community informant. In-depth interview was carried out to midwives and traditional birth attendants. The data were analyzed using interactive analyzes model. Result: The study site was Tanjung Limau Village in East Kalimantan. Village community hold their traditional beliefs for pregnant women mainly food restriction such as salted fish, calamari, pine-apple or cempedak. Also they were not allowed to go out in the evening around "maghrib" time with certain superstitious reason. The aim of those beliefs was to avoid delivery complication, and to keep the baby as being healthy and save. Conclusion: Traditional birth attendance still played a big role in delivery process. Community in Tanjung Limau Village in East Kalimantan still applied traditional beliefs regarding maternal health, thus health providers must learn its symbolic meaning in regard to educate community and change their behavior using acceptable approach

PENGARUH KARAKTERISTIK PSIKOGRAFIS KONSUMEN, SIKAP TERHADAP VIDEO TUTORIAL MAKE-UP, DAN CITRA MERK PADA MINAT BELI

This research aims to examine the influence of consumer psychographic characteristics (purchase experience, consumer innovativeness, vanity seeking, and variaty seeking behavior) on attitudes towards makeup tutorial videos, the influence of attitude towards on makeup tutorial videos on brand image and the influence of brand image on purchase interest. Data was collected through a survey on 300 female respondents in Yogyakarta Special Region and Central Java, aged 15-45 years old. Data were analyzed using linear regression analysis. The results showed that purchase experience, vanity seeking behavior, and variety seeking behavior positively effect attitudes towards makeup tutorials video, while consumer innovativenes does not affect attitude towards makeup tutorial video. Attitudes towards makeup tutorials video positively effect brand image and brand image positively effect purchase intention

Analysis Of Telecom Base Stations Powered By Solar Energy

Improved Quality of Service and cost reduction are important issues affecting the telecommunication industry. Companies such as Airtel, Glo etc believe that the solar powered cellular base stations are capable of transforming the Nigerian communication industry due to their low cost, reliability, and environmental friendliness. Currently, there are several research efforts directed on the use of solar power in the Nigerian telecommunication industry. In this paper, the importance of solar energy as a renewable energy source for cellular base stations is analyzed. Also, simulation software PVSYST6.0.7 is used to obtain an estimate of the cost of generation of solar power for cellular base stations. The simulations were carried out for the Grid-Connected and the Stand-Alone solar power systems by using Benin City, Nigeria as a case study. The PVSYST6.0.7 simulation results shows that the power generation costs for the grid connected solar powered system is less when compared to standalone solar powered system in Benin City, Nigeri

The Case for Aluminium Cable Usage in 1-kV Networks in Nigeria with Emphasis on Public Awareness

This paper presents the needed analysis for the use of Aluminium conductors as an alternative to the use of copper in 1-kV armoured and non-armoured cable network applications in Nigeria. The study revealed that over the years, copper cables have dominated the Nigeria cable market, except for bare Aluminium conductors (AOHL) and service cables (NAY and NAYY). The use of Aluminium as a conductor material has reached a great development due to its mechanical and electrical characteristics, in addition to the economic advantage over other metals used as conductors. The specification of its properties is expressed in the same units employed for other materials in order to appreciate its application as compared to other conductors. This paper carried out a rigorous comparison analysis on the price, weight and conductor’s minimum cross section to sustain the permissible current carrying capacity, allowable voltage drop and short circuit current for 4-cores armoured mains cables