RELEVANCE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN OVERCOMING PSYCHO- EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS

Provision of Guidance and Counselling Services is one of the educational policies of the Federal Government to cater for the apparent ignorance of many young people about career prospects and personality maladjustment among school children. This paper, therefore, discusses the relevance and importance of Guidance and Counselling in the implementation of educational policies Vis-a-vis problem areas that Guidance Counsellor could tackle for the purpose of educational development

Age features of O2 mass transfer regimes in adolescents’ body at rest

The results of complex studies of the quantitative relationship between the stage-by-stage mass transfer of O2 and the efficiency of cardiorespiratory system functioning in relation to its consumption in adolescents’ body under conditions of relative rest are presented. The results obtained show that in adolescents, the modes of mass transfer of O2 in the body and the nature of the respiratory and circulatory systems functioning in relation to its consumption have a number of age-related differences compared with adult men. So, in adolescents, the external respiration system at rest functions less economically than in adults. Each liter of O2 consumed by adolescents is extracted from almost 3 liters more than in adults the amount of air ventilated per minute through the lungs. The volumetric indicators of blood circulation are also higher in adolescents, which may indicate the influence of neuro-humoral rearrangements in the body during the pubertal period. The coefficient of oxygen utilization by tissues from arterial blood in adolescents turned out to be significantly higher, which may characterize a higher tension of tissue metabolic processes

Ophthalmic manifestations in patients with intracranial tumours

Introduction L’étude a pour but d’apprécier les manifestations ophtalmologiques des patients présentant des tumeurs cérébrales au Nigéria dans un hôpital tertiaire. Méthode Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective avec une revue des tumeurs cérébrales dans le Neurosurgical Unit of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife de janvier 2003 à décembre 2007. L’analyse des données, diagnostique, acuité visuelle, et prise en charge, ont été analysées selon la fréquence en utilisant avec la version 1 11 SPCS . L’acuité visuelle a été classifiée selon celle de l’OMS. Résultat Sur un total de 94 patients, 88 patients ont été revus. Il s’agissait de 53 patients de sexe masculin et 35 de sexe féminin. La moyenne d’âge était de 36.2 plus ou moins 20 ans. 14 patients ont été pris en charge par les ophtalmologistes. La répartition des tumeurs était la suivante: méningiomes, 36,4 %, craniopharyngiomes, 13,6 % et gliomes, 9,1 %. 67,9 % des patients se plaignaient de troubles visuels à l’admission dont 46,6 % avec une baisse importante et 12,5 % une vision double. Il a été objectivé une artrophie optique dans 23,9 % . 46 malades (52 %) étaient aveugles et 14 (16 %) avaient un trouble visuelimportant. Conclusion Les troubles visuels sont des manifestations cliniques fréquentes de présentation des tumeurs cérébrales. Une information médicale précoce est requise

Perceived effects of N-power agro programme on youth empowerment and income generation in Lagos state, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of N-power Agro program on youth empowerment and income generation in Lagos state, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to examine the socio-economic characteristics of N-power agro beneficiaries, to determine the contribution of N-Agro to empowerment, to ascertain how N-Power agro programme generates income for the youths and to know the problems affecting N-Power Agro programs in Lagos state. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean and Analysis of Variance. The mean age of the respondents was 26 years, 55.0% were male, 50.8% were married and 42.5% were First Degree holders. Findings also revealed that 80.0% felt the programme has improved their working experience, 79.2% indicated that the programme has helped in poverty reduction while 62.5% perceived that the programme ensured their financial independence. The major problems affecting the implementation of N-Power Agro programmes in Lagos State are non-payment of stipend to participants as at when due ( ̅= 2.92), insufficient information ( ̅= 2.68) and high transportation fare paid by the participants to work ( ̅= 2.63). The study also revealed that there is a significant relationship between N-Power Agro and youth empowerment in Lagos State. It is therefore recommended that government should ensure adequate provision of funds for income- generating projects through the N-Power programmes. This will solve the problem of delay in the payment of the stipend. &nbsp

Sexually transmitted diseases at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi

Objectives: To re-assess attendance at the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) clinic in relation to age, sex and seasonal variation over a three-year period, and to determine the pattern of STD syndromes presenting at the STDs clinic, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.Design: A retrospective study.Setting: STDs clinic, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Blantyre, Malawi.Results: The study findings indicate that of the 50,524 attendees, 52.72% and 47.28% were males and females respectively. Over the period there was a significant (30.7%) increase in the number of attendees from 14,622 (28.94%) in 1996 and 16,794 (33.24%) in 1997 to 19,008 (37.82%) in 1998, a trend that was also observed among the sexes. The age range was between 11 and 72 years. More than half(53.55%) of the patients were within 21 to 30 years age rangewhile a total of 48,054 (95.11%) were below 50 years. The most frequently presented STDs syndromes among the 21- 30 year age group were genital ulcer disease (GUD) (40.86%), genitourinary symptoms high risk (GUS - HR) (20.46%), urethral discharge (UD) (15.65%) and pelvic inflammatory diseases (PID) (13.37%). The four constituted 90.34% of all case presentations. Balanitis (BA) was the least common at 0.32% or 86 cases in three years. Whilethe incidence of genitourinary symptoms low risk (GUS - LR) decreased over the years and no clear pattern could be established with (GUS - HR), acute scrotal swelling/pain (SS), and BA, numerical increase in the presentation of UD, PID and enlarged inguinal lymph nodes(BU) was observed. However, the phenomenal increase in the prevalence of STDs particularly GUD rising from 2,988 (37.70%) in 1996 and 3,674 (40.27%) in 1997 to 4,392 (43.88%) in 1998 respectively was noted with concern. There seemed to be a link between seasonal variation and attendance at the STD clinic as more cases presented between March and May peaking in April of each year while December period recorded the least attendance.Conclusion: Attendance rate at the STDs clinic, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, is still on the increase in spite of the various STDs/HIV/AIDS awareness campaign programmes

Reliable UHF long-range textile-integrated RFID tag based on a compact flexible antenna filament

This paper details the design, fabrication and testing of flexible textile-concealed RFID tags 1 for wearable applications in a smart city/ smart building environment. The proposed tag designs aim 2 to reduce the overall footprint, enabling textile integration whilst maintaining the read range. The 3 proposed RFID filament is less than 3.5 mm in width and 100 mm in length. The tag is based on an 4 electrically small (0.0033λ 2) high-impedance planar dipole antenna with a tuning loop, maintaining a 5 reflection coefficient less than −21 dB at 915 MHz, when matched to a commercial RFID chip mounted 6 alongside the antenna. The antenna strip and the RFID chip are then encapsulated and integrated in 7 a standard woven textile for wearable applications. The flexible antenna filament demonstrates a 1.8 8 dBi gain which shows a close agreement with the analytically calculated and numerically simulated 9 gains. The range of the fabricated tags has been measured and a maximum read range of 8.2 m was 10 recorded at 868 MHz. Moreover, the tag's maximum calculated range at 915 MHz is 18 m, which 11 is much longer than the commercially available laundry tags of larger length and width, such as 12 Invengo RFID tags. The reliability of the proposed RFID tags has been investigated using a series 13 of tests replicating textile-based use case scenarios which demonstrates its suitability for practical 14 deployment. Washing tests have shown that the textile-integrated encapsulated tags can be read after 15 over 32 washing cycles, and that multiple tags can be read simultaneously while being washed

Photovoltaic Generating System Parameter Sizing for Building

Small to medium sized battery storage required to address the intermittency challenge of the energy of solar radiation could be achieved by appropriate sizing of the photovoltaic system parameters like photovoltaic module (PVM) number and battery capacity. This paper presents the results of evaluation of the optimum parameter values in sizing of stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) system that satisfies building energy demand, with almost zero Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP). A time step simulation of system performance based on energy balance for various combinations of PV numbers and battery capacities was employed. (Three seasons of operation were considered; rainy, hot and hot/dry). The rainy season result indicating high storage capacity requirement of about (2500-Ah), is of highest cost compared to other seasons. Stand-alone photovoltaic system size that will assuage the intermittency challenge; mitigate peak demand costs and provide near zero LPSP was determined. Keywords: loss of power supply probability, photovoltaic, energy demand, parameter sizing, stand-alon

ANTHROPOMETRIC EVALUATION OF A UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL’S SEAT

Ergonomics deals with the methods and processes of designing workplaces so that they fit the individuals that make use of them. This paper focuses on the anthropometric evaluation of the lecture hall’s seat of a University. Two anthropometric dimensions, the popliteal height (PH) and the buttock-popliteal length (BP) of 188 undergraduate students using the University lecture hall were taken. The lecture hall’s seat has height of 465mm and depth of 405mm. It was found that 61% of the student population used for the study was in the fit range of the seat height. Examining the seat depth and buttock to popliteal length, it was observed that 53.7% of the students may be comfortable using the present seat depth design of 405mm dimension, while over 46% of the students’ population used for the study might not be able to utilize the backrest of the seat. From this study, it was found that the seat depth of the University lecture hall’s seats were not adequate and a model should be developed to determine the most appropriate seat depth required for the University’s lecture hall’s seats. &nbsp

Prospective Comparative Trial of Ceftriaxone versus Ceftazidime as Prophylactic Perioperative Antimicrobials in Neurosurgery

Background: Previous reports have suggested that both ceftriaxone and ceftazidime are effective as prophylactic perioperative antibiotics in neurosurgery. This study was designed to compare the infection rates following the use of these antibiotics as prophylactic agents during neurological surgery in our centre. In a tertiary hospitalMethods: This was a prospective study in which patients were allocated into two groups. One group received ceftriaxone (Roche-rocephine) and the other group received ceftazidime (GlaxoSmithKline – fortum). Patients were followed up for evidence of surgical site infections for up to 6 weeks after discharge. Clinical and or laboratory evidence of wound infection were used as outcome measure.Results: There were 118 patients, 58 patients received ceftriaxone and 60 patients received ceftazidime. Infection occurred in 4 (6.9%) in the ceftriaxone group and in 9 (15%) in the ceftazidime group. The difference was not statistically significant. The infection rate following ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting procedure was similar (11.8%) in both groups.Conclusion: Our study confirmed the efficacy of ceftriaxone and ceftazidime in preventing surgical site infection that may follow neurosurgical procedures, but the difference in infection rates following the use of their use was not statistically significant