Appraising language rights under Nigeria legislation

Language as a means of communication covers different forms and perspectives. It is used to express different ideas and thoughts. Most times people are discriminated against because of language. They do not have access to social and economic opportunities because of the language they speak or understand. Hence, there is a distinguishing factor placed on language classified by its speakers. This paper explores existing Nigeria’s body of laws to enhance language rights and equal opportunities to language speakers, and where such law does not exist, are there possibilities of having such laws especially in a multilingual nation like Nigeria?Key words: Language Rights, Legislation, Nigeria, Appraisa

Seismic Edge Detection by Application of Cepstral Decomposition to Data Driven Modeled Geologic Channel Feature in Niger Delta

Seismic edge detection algorithm unmasks blurred discontinuity in animage and its efficiency is dependent on the precession of the processingscheme adopted. Data-driven modeling is a fast machine learning schemeand a formal automatic version of the empirical approach in existence fora long time and which can be used in many different contexts. Here, a desired algorithm that can identify masked connection and correlation froma set of observations is built and used. Geologic models of hydrocarbonreservoirs facilitate enhanced visualization, volumetric calculation, wellplanning and prediction of migration path for fluid. In order to obtain newinsights and test the mappability of a geologic feature, spectral decomposition techniques i.e. Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), etc and Cepstral decomposition techniques, i.e Complex Cepstral Transform (CCT), etc can be employed. Cepstral decomposition is a new approach that extends the widely used process of spectral decomposition which is rigorous when analyzing very subtle stratigraphic plays and fractured reservoirs. This paper presents the results of the application of DFT and CCT to a two dimensional, 50Hz low impedance Channel sand model, representing typical geologic environment around a prospective hydrocarbon zone largely trapped in various types of channel structures. While the DFT represents the frequency and phase spectra of a signal, assumes stationarity and highlights the average properties of its dominant portion, assuming analytical, the CCTrepresents the quefrency and saphe cepstra of a signal in quefrency domain.The transform filters the field data recorded in time domain, and recoverslost sub-seismic geologic information in quefrency domain by separatingsource and transmission path effects. Our algorithm is based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) techniques and the programming code was written within Matlab software. It was developed from first principles and outside oil industry’s interpretational platform using standard processing routines.The results of the algorithm, when implemented on both commercial andgeneral platforms, were comparable. The cepstral properties of the channelmodel indicate that cepstral attributes can be utilized as powerful tool inexploration problems to enhance visualization of small scale anomaliesand obtain reliable estimates of wavelet and stratigraphic parameters. Thepractical relevance of this investigation is illustrated by means of sampleresults of spectral and cepstral attribute plots and pseudo-sections of phaseand saphe constructed from the model data. The cepstral attributes revealmore details in terms of quefrency required for clearer imaging and betterinterpretation of subtle edges/discontinuities, sand-shale interbedding, differences in lithology. These positively impact on production as they serveas basis for the interpretation of similar geologic situations in field data

Poster:Discovering requirements of behaviour change software systems from negative user experience

Behavior Change Software systems (BCSSs) have shown promising outcomes in terms of promoting healthy behaviors. However, a negative User Experience (UX) can be induced by BCSS if designers do not have clear understanding of the requirements that factually help in changing the user behavior that achieves a sustainability goal. In order to get insights into how to discover such sustainability requirements, we propose a discovery approach, whose emphasis is placed on negative UX assessed through attitudes and behaviors expressed by users due to the lack of fulfillment of actual user needs. The approach is tested on existing software systems designed for preventing or reducing Repetitive Strain Injury as a particular category of BCSS. Twelve requirements that contribute to social sustainability were discovered

Management of calcaneal fractures: a case series

Background: Untreated or inappropriately treated, calcaneal fractures can result in arthritis, chronic ankle pain, and ankle deformity which can significantly impact the lifestyle of affected patients. Even though calcaneal fractures are common among those with multiple injuries, they can easily be missed, and not treating them would significantly impact on the patient negatively. Case Presentation: This article is a retrospective recall of the six patients seen with calcaneal fractures that were treated in our hospital between 2010 and 2018, they were mainly multiply injured and the advanced trauma life support (ATLS) protocol helped to delineate these fractures, the use of modern-day operative and non-operative methods of management and rehabilitation were employed. Discussion and conclusion: Calcaneal fractures are mostly associated with high-energy trauma which includes falls from heights or vehicle accidents with almost 50% soft tissue involvement. This is similar to cases presented in this paper as all the patients were either involved in road traffic accidents or had fallen from a height, however, soft tissue destruction manifesting as open fractures were absent in our series. Calcaneal fractures are rare and can easily be missed as patients may present as multiply injured. Prompt and adequate Rehabilitation is important to improve function

Investigations into the influence of temperature on the optical properties of NiO thin films

Nanocrystalline thin films of nickel oxide (NiO) have been deposited on glass substrates in polyvinylpyrrolidon (PVP) matrix solution by chemical bath deposition technique. The films have been annealed at 373 K–573 K and changes in their optical properties have been studied. Investigation reveals that the optical properties of the films have been irregularly influenced by heat treatment. They show varied transmittance for different annealing temperatures making them useful for applications in optoelectronic devices. The structural property of the films has been obtained by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the elemental composition has been deduced from Rutherford back scattering spectroscopy (RBS). XRD analyses of the film annealed at 375 K show that the films are crystallized and have rhombohedral structure. The crystallite size of the film has been determined and found to be 89.90 nm. The films band gaps range from 2.30 eV – 2.95 eV, which are lower than that of their solid materials. This however makes them useful for antireflection coatings and other applications

Antioxidant Potential of Crude Powder, Methanol and Aqueous Extracts of Fonio Millet (Digitaria exilis) Grains

This study evaluated the antioxidant potential along with total phenolic content, total flavonoid content of the crude powder, methanol and aqueous extracts of Digitaria exilis grains. The antioxidant activities of the crude powder and extracts were determined by measuring the reducing ability and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. The results showed that methanol extracts exhibited the highest total phenolic content (57.96 ± 6.84 mg gallic acid equivalence/g dried weight) and total flavonoid content (38.75 ± 9.76 mg quercetin equivalence/g dried weight) compared to the crude powder and aqueous extracts. A concentration- dependent increase in the reducing ability and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity was observed in all the samples. The results were comparable to ascorbic acid, the standard antioxidant used. These results indicate that Digitaria exilis grains have antioxidant activity and may account for the use of the grains in traditional systems of medicine

Ear, nose and throat injuries at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania: a five-year prospective review of 456 cases.

Injuries to the ear, nose and throat (ENT) regions are not uncommon in clinical practice and constitute a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in our setting. There is dearth of literature on this subject in our environment. This study was conducted to describe the causes, injury pattern and outcome of these injuries in our setting and proffer possible preventive measures. This was a descriptive prospective study of patients with ear, nose and throat injuries managed at Bugando Medical Centre between May 2007 and April 2012. Ethical approval to conduct the study was sought from relevant authorities. Statistical data analysis was performed using SPSS computer software version 17.0. A total of 456 patients were studied. The median age of patients at presentation was 18 years (range 1 to 72 years). The male to female ratio was 2:1. The commonest cause of injury was foreign bodies (61.8%) followed by road traffic accidents (22.4%). The ear was the most common body region injured accounting for 59.0% of cases. The majority of patients (324, 71.1%) were treated as an outpatient and only 132(28.9%) patients required admission to the ENT wards after definitive treatment. Foreign body removal and surgical wound debridement were the most common treatment modalities performed in 61.9% and 16.2% of cases respectively. Complication rate was 14.9%. Suppurative otitis media (30.9%) was the commonest complication in the ear while traumatic epistaxis (26.5%) and hoarseness of voice (11.8%) in the aero-digestive tract were commonest in the nose and throat. The overall median length of hospital stay for in-patients was 8 days (range 1 to 22 days). Patients who developed complications and those who had associated injuries stayed longer in the hospital (P < 0.001).Mortality rate related to isolated ENT injuries was 1.3% (6 deaths). The majority of patients (96.9%) were treated successfully and only 3.1% of cases were discharged with permanent disabilities. Injuries to the ENT regions are not uncommon in our environment and foreign bodies constitute a significant cause of injury. Majority of these injuries can be prevented through public enlightenment campaigns

Contraceptive uptake among women attending family planning clinic in a Nigerian tertiary health facility: a 6 year review

Background: Contraceptive uptake is one of the most important determinants of pregnancy rates and birth rates in the world. Aim: To determine the principal trends in contraceptive use from 2004-2009 in the family planning unit of a tertiary health centre in South-Western Nigeria, and to identify the effect of age, marital status and parity on the choice of contraceptive method.Methods: The record of 1,862 clients attending the Family Planning unit of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria for the period between 2004-2009 were reviewed. Information related to the age, marital status, parity and the choice of contraception were obtained using a structured proforma and the data analyzed with SPSS version 16. Pearson chi-square test was used as test of significance where applicable.Results: Within the study period, the contraceptive uptake was 13.2%. Copper-T IUCD was the most commonly used method of contraception (77.9%), followed by the progestogen only injectable contraceptives (12.6%), then oral pills (4.1%) and progestin implants (2.3%). Single women and women of low parity are more likely to use pills than IUCD (69% vs. 38.3%) while long acting reversible contraception (injectables and IUCD) are preferred by women with higher parity (P=0.000).Conclusions: IUCD is the most popular method of contraception in Ife-Ijesha area of Nigeria. Contraceptive uptake is relatively low among the women. Age and parity are key influences on the uptake and choice of contraception practiced by the women, while the influence of marital status is not statistically significant

Classroom Interaction Practices and Students’ Learning Outcomes in Physics: Implication for Teaching-Skill Development for Physics Teachers

In the last decade, evidence in the science education literature seems to suggest that student-centered classroom interaction appears to have effect over and above teacher-centered interaction in enhancing learning outcomes in various science subjects especially in Physics. Based on this premise, this paper examined the effects of teacher-centered and student-centered interaction practices on students’ achievement and attitude in dynamics, an aspect of Physics considered abstract at the secondary school level. This study employed both the quasi-experimental and observational survey designs. From a sample of four comparable schools in Kogi East Local Government Areas of Kogi State, Nigeria, 139 physics students from intact classes and seven teachers (4 who did the teaching and 3 others who observed in all classes) were involved in the study. Three instruments developed were used for data collection. These are Teacher-Student Classroom Observation Schedule (TSCOS), Students’ Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ), and Physics Achievement Test (PAT) with reliability indices of 0.68, 0.86 and 0.79 respectively. The data generated from the use of the instruments were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while the ANCOVA statistic was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 α-level. Results revealed that the difference between the mean performances and mean attitude of students exposed to the two types of interactions were statistically significant. Gender differences in mean performance and attitude scores were not significant. It was recommended that student-centered classroom interaction strategy should be advocated for use. Implications were drawn for teacher skills acquisition

Coping strategies of Nigerian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study assessed the coping strategies of Nigerian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design: We conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among medical and dental students attending three of the largest Colleges of Medicine in the Southwestern zone of Nigeria.Settings: Our study involved students across the pre-clinical and clinical levels of the three Colleges of Medicine.Participants: We selected the respondents through a purposive sampling technique and disseminated questionnaires applied using an online survey platform (Google forms https://forms.gle/19yfEzehJKwsme759). A total of 1010 par-ticipants out of 2404 eligible students completed the questionnaires accurately, giving a response rate of 42%.Methods: The Brief-COPE questionnaire assessed the participants' coping strategies (approach and avoidant) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a bivariate analysis using the chi-square test and multiple regression analysis (p&lt; 0.05) to determine the predictors of avoidant coping strategies.Results: Respondents mean age was 21.8±2.9 years, results were presented as Odds Ratios(OR) at 95% confidence intervals(CI). About 95% of respondents employed an approach coping strategy, while the minority(5%) adopted an avoidant coping strategy. Females were three times more likely to employ an avoidant coping strategy (OR=3.32 (95% CI 1.67-6.21) compared to male students.Conclusion: This study reveals that the majority of the respondents employed an approach coping strategy towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Females were more likely to employ an avoidant coping strategy. We recommend gender-specific programs to help medical students cope with the COVID-19 pandemic