Profiles of Problematic Soils and Spatial Distribution: Implication on Foundation Construction in Parts of Kosofe Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria.

Geotechnical data were complemented with geophysical investigation and employed to delineate problematic soils in parts of Kosofe Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria. The study area was chosen because of known issues regarding cracks in buildings and differential settlement of infrastructures founded on soils in the area. The aim is to generate profiles and maps of the spatial distribution of the subsurface soils to aid in foundation planning. Forty eight borehole logs and nine Vertical Electrical Soundings were compiled to delineate the different subsurface lithology which include peat, clay and sand. The results showed that the peat layer has maximum thickness of about 18.25 m but absent in some boreholes. This is underlain by clay unit with thickness ranging between 2.50-28.50 m. Sand unit constitute the third layer delineated with maximum thickness of 14 m. There is a general thickening of peat soils in the northern parts, especially around the streams in the area, which is instructive on the role of stream in the formation of the peat. The clay on the other hand is thickest around the northeastern and southeastern parts. The soil profiles generated reveal that the area is underlain by thick peat and clay having significant lateral, vertical variation and rapidly changing lithological facie over short distances. The extensive occurrence of these poor engineering soils calls for adequate engineering precaution in designs of building foundation

Pain Relief during Labor: Attitudes of Postpartum Mothers in Selected Hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background & aim: Giving birth is a painful process, which exposes women to a lot of stress. It is the responsibility of the healthcare practitioners to make this process less burdensome. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the attitudes of postpartum mothers towards labor pain relief. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 153 females with spontaneous vaginal delivery within September to October of 2012. The study population was selected through convenience sampling technique. Data collection was performed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analysed in SPSS (version 20), using descriptive statistics and Chi-square. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.   Results: According to the results, 60.8% of the respondents had knowledge about pain relief in labor. However, 58.8% of the participants did not request for pain relief during labor because they believed that their pain could not be relieved. Women's attitude to labor pain relief showed a significant association with their age (P=0.001), education level (P=0.001), and parity (P=0.001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, the midwives are recommended to provide the pregnant women with health education on labor pain relief and dispel any misconceptions in this regard

Bread-slicing machine

This study developed a compact front loading machine for slicing loaves of bread.  The machine is fast, efficient, safe and easy to operate.  It was designed to accommodate a normal loaf of bread per pass.  It works on the principle of gravity loaf in-feed system and the up-and-down reciprocating motion of the blade frame that carries 22 parallel cutting blades spaced at a regular interval of 14.5 mm apart.  It is driven by a 2 horsepower electric motor via a V-belt power transmission system.  The moving components are born on self-lubricating bearings and specially designed vibration absorbers; it automatically stops to save running cost once the loaf is completely sliced.  It also incorporates a crumb collection tray to enhance the hygiene of the process. Evaluation tests revealed that increasing the cutting speed above the standard commercial bakery speed of 420 r/min increased bread wastage and reduced uniformity of slice thickness

Awareness and Use of Search Techniques as indicated in the Google user’s manual by Postgraduate Students of Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Abstract Precise and timely information in all aspects of human endeavor is key to the actualization of various goals. This study was carried out to determine the awareness and use of search techniques in searching for information in Google Search and Gmail by postgraduate students of Lead City University, Ibadan. The search techniques are recommended and documented by Google for efficiency in search operations. A total of 254 students were sampled using convenience sampling techniques and also filled out the structured questionnaire of which 173 copies were returned due to emergence of covid-19. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the data collected. The researchers found out that about half the population of the students were not aware of the techniques as specified in the Google documentation while a little more than average used Boolean operators and phrase searching, menu option was used to a great extent, but this is not so with specials characters as their extent of use was very far from average. Also, email operators recorded moderate usage by a great number of the respondents. As a result, it is recommended that Google push the search help techniques to the front page for users to see, and Information Retrieval should be taught as a general subject at undergraduate and postgraduate levels since electronic learning is the new paradigm

Dynamical Analysis and Control Strategies for Capturing the Spread of COVID-19

In this paper, a study of preventive measures capable of curbing the spread of COVID 19 pandemic to avoid its second wave was carried out. The existence and uniqueness of the proposed mathematical model is assured, the basic reproduction number is established, the local and global stability of the disease free equilibrium are well obtained and the variational iteration method is applied to solve the mathematical model. Numerical simulation of the included control parameters are carried out. The obtained results and outcomes are presented graphically. It was revealed that enlightenment to vaccination awareness should be encouraged as vaccination is a good strategy of capturing the spread of the disease. Keywords: Covid-19, Basic Reproduction Number, Local stability, Global Stability, variational Iteration Metho

On the Effects of Saturation Terms on A SEIR Epidemic Model with Infected and Susceptible Compartments

The importance of the saturation term in an SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, and Recovered) epidemic model was examined in this article. To estimate the basic reproduction number (R0), examine the stabilities and run numerical simulations on the model, the next generation matrix, the Lyapunov function and Runge-Kutta techniques were used. The numerical simulation results reveal that, the saturation term has a significant influence in the model’s susceptible and infected compartments. However, as demonstrated by the simulation results, saturation term has a greater influence on vulnerable people than on infected people. As a result, greater sensitization programs through seminars, media, and awareness will be more beneficial to the vulnerable class than the afflicted class during disease eradication

Welfare Impact of Globalization in Developing Countries: Examining the Mediating Role of Human Capital

Publication history: Accepted - 16 August 2019, Published - 21. August 2019espite remarkable progress in the fight against poverty during the past few decades, the proportion of the poor living in developing countries is still on the high side. Many countries have promoted integration as an important development strategy; however, its impact on welfare of the poor is still unclear. In this study, we examine the roles of education and health dimensions of human capital in globalization and its impact on the poverty gap and the child mortality rate using cross-country panel data covering 110 developing countries between 1970 and 2015. We use a model based on system generalized method of moments (SGMM) to control for unobserved heterogeneity and potential endogeneity of the explanatory variables. The empirical results reveal that globalization reduces poverty gap and child mortality rate, and that an increase in the stock of human capital in developing economies improves welfare outcomes. The study also finds that human capital strengthens the negative impact of globalization on poverty gap and child mortality rate. For example, should enrollment in secondary school in Nigeria (in 2013) be increased from 39.2% to 61.6%, on average, it could translate into 2508 fewer under-five child deaths. We recommend that interconnectedness and promotion of human capital development should constitute a fundamental component of policy mix targeted at enhancing reduction of poverty and child mortality rate in developing countries

ENTREPRENEURSHIP ORIENTATION AND INNOVATIVE CAPABILITY ON SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES PERFORMANCE

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is a major sector that contributes to employability, development, and non-oil trades. Furthermore, these sorts of organizations are capable of confronting and withstanding emergencies and can further recuperate more rapidly than bigger businesses. As one of the essential models of poverty reduction, the determination of the elements driving the outcome of SMEs should be decided to effect development and growth. This research utilized explanatory design, which attempts to analyze the connection between exogenous constructs(entrepreneurial orientation, and innovation capability) and endogenous constructs (SMEsperformance). The populace is the selected small and medium-scale enterprises in Lagos State, Nigeria. Measures and considerations for the ventures are in view of trade volumes. The information was examined utilizing multiple linear regression analysis. The outcome shows that entrepreneurial orientation and innovative capability influence small and medium enterprise's performance cumulatively and selectively

Eumycotic mycetoma in a young girl from Sokoto, Nigeria: a rare and unusual presentation

Introduction: A typical presentation of Mycetoma is not uncommon although clinical manifestations might be misleading leading to delay in diagnosis, treatment and consequently leading to poor prognosis. Mycetoma can have a fungal or bacterial etiology and manifestation is usually that of a disfiguring subcutaneous infection that can affect any part of the exposed body. We are reporting a case of Mycetoma in an eleven years old girl that occurred in parts of the lower abdomen, perineum and gluteal region that was initially thought to be a soft tissue sarcoma or disseminated tuberculosis.Case Presentation: An eleven years old girl presented to Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto with lower abdominal mass and multiple nodular masses with discharging sinuses on the upper part of the right thigh, perineum and gluteal region of six months duration. Swellings started as multiple small boils that subsequently started discharging from various points. Patient usually fetches firewood in the forest for her parents as her routine house chores and she remembered an incident where she had pricks from thorns in the bush around her lower thigh and perineum. On examination she was chronically ill looking, in painful distress, with bilateral inguinal lymphadenopathy. She had nodular lesions of varying sizes ranging from 1x1cm to 4x4cm, tender, involving the upper part of the thigh bilaterally, but more on the right, lower abdomen, labia and gluteal region. Some of the lesions had hyper-pigmented sinuses discharging mucopurulent fluid, with areas of soft tissue swelling around the lower abdomen and upper right thigh extending to the leg. Patient was observed to walk with a limp gait.Management and Outcome: An initial diagnosis of soft tissue infection to rule out soft tissue sarcoma and disseminated tuberculosis (abdomen and lymph nodes) and deep tissue mycosis was made. However, with further investigations and reviews by the medical microbiologist and anatomic pathologist, along with bacteriologic, and mycologic studies of swab samples and aspirate and tissue biopsy for Histology revealed an eumycotic mycetoma. She received Ketoconazole and Trimetoprim-sulphametoxazole. She responded significantly as lesions reduced in sizes, abdominal swelling and leg swelling reduced with closure of discharging sinuses. Patient could walk with some resolution of the limp. Repeat abdominal ultrasound scan showed resolution of initial findings. She spent four weeks in the hospital and was discharged. On subsequent follow-up; she was walking without any limp and lesions were healed with some scar and few areas left to dry up. Further follow-up visits after one month and three month showed progressive healing and complete resolution of lesion respectively. However. Patient was however lost to further follow-up which would have enabled monitoring as to any reoccurrence or not.Conclusion: We presented a case of a young girl with an abnormal presentation of eumycotic mycetoma. Patient achieved near cure on medications without the need of surgery due to an excellent multidisciplinary approach between pediatricians, clinicians, clinical microbiologists and anatomic pathologists.Keywords: Mycetoma, Eumycetoma, Paediatric