Employee Perception of Maintenance Practices at Selected Public Healthcare Facilities in Niger State, Nigeria

Maintenance practice involves deliberate and orderly way that deals with planning, evaluation, organizing, and monitoring of maintenance activities and their expenses. An excellent maintenance management framework combines with learned and proficient maintenance staff can avoid safety and health issues and environmental harm; yielding longer assets life with less breakdowns, lower working costs and higher personal satisfaction for the users and occupants. Experienced and highly trained workers are inspired with a very friendly atmosphere and they are also in turn individual friendly.Lack of maintenance of our healthcare facilities is evident in the deplorable condition of the structures and equipment.This study assessed maintenance practices of maintenance staff at six (6) selected healthcare facilities in Niger State through a structured questionnaire. Data collected was analysed with Minitab 17 statistical software using descriptive statistics. The analysis revealed among others that majority of maintenance practice were preventive in nature, and that the maintenanceproblems in the healthcare facilities of Niger State was caused bylack of lack of funding and lack of successful adaptation of ineffective maintenance programmes and practices. The study recommended a proactive and aggressive approach to reduce the occurrence of defects in and around the healthcare facilities. It was also recommended that individual healthcare centres should solicit for both private and public funding for maintenance activities since they have partial autonomy to generate revenue internally for their operation

Evaluation of Boron Combustion for Ducted Rocket Applications Using Condensed Product Analysis

Boron, a metalloid, produces high energy upon combustion. It is recommended as an ingredient for fuel or propellant in rocket propulsion, despite the challenge of extracting its full thermal energy. So far no one has claimed the complete energy conversion of boron upon combustion. On the other hand, the current propulsion system of the Meteor missile uses boron-loaded propellant. The boron-loaded propellant provides an approximately three-fold increase in specific impulse compared to conventional propellants. The present study focuses on boron-HTPB-based solid fuels impregnated with early ignited particles as additives, aiming to assess the combustion performance of boron particles. These additives are magnesium (Mg), titanium (Ti), and activated charcoal (C), and their effects are evaluated based on the residual active boron content in the condensed combustion products (burned residues). An economical tool commonly called stagnation flow or opposed flow burner (OFB) is used to deflagrate the fuel sample by means of pressurized oxygen gas. The condensed combustion products are examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Among the fuel combinations investigated here, magnesium has been found to be a good burning enhancer of boron, leaving the lowest active boron content (30%) in the burned-out residue. The current research aims to develop an efficient boron-containing solid fuel for hybrid propellant ducted rocket engine applications

A Study of Biomimetic Architectural traits in a Pre-Medical School Complex in Nigeria: a Case-study of Faculty of Medicine, Kaduna State University (KASU) Complex, Kaduna

Biomimicry is an applied science that derives inspiration for solutions to human problems through the study of natural designs, systems and processes. Nature  can teach  us about systems, materials, processes, structures and aesthetics (just to name a few). By delving more deeply into how nature solves problems that are experienced today, timely solutions could be extracted and new directions for our built environments could be explored. This research examines Biomimetic design principles  in an attempt to identify the traits in the design of the faculty of medicine of Kaduna State University (KASU). Case study methodology was adopted for the research through a descriptive and qualitative analysis.  The findings suggested that, knowingly or unknowingly certain biomimetic attributes  had been  adopted in some aspects of the building design to achieve sustainability in the building. The  paper  recommends that a holistic approach to design and construction should always be adopted and biomimicy principles should always be considered in the design and planning of academic  facilities because it has  been shown to support the sustainable agenda. Keywords: Biomimicry; Faculty of Medicine; Nature; Sustainability; Kadun

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline Ba(Ti0.96SnxZr0.04-x)O3 ceramic

Nanocrystalline powders of Barium titanate (BaTiO3 or BT) and Ba(Ti0.96SnxZr0.04-x)O3 (BTSZ1, BTSZ2, and BTSZ3) [x=0.02, 0.03 and 0.04] have been synthesized by a combination of solid-state reaction and high energy ball- milling technique (HBM). The effect of increasing Sn content on the microstructure and dielectric properties of the ceramics were studied. X-ray diffraction patterns show cubic and tetragonal symmetry without secondary phase. Sn4+ and Zr4+ ions entered the perovskite-type cubic structure and led to an increase in the lattice parameters. The average crystallite size has been calculated using Scherrer formula. Using Scherrer, the crystallite size of the (110) peaks of the pure BT is 31.2 nm and that of BTSZ1, BTSZ2, and BTSZ3 are 42.7, 37.9 and 42.3 nm respectively. The FESEM results indicated a variation of grain size from 144.53, to 89.28 nm for the pure BT, BTSZ1, BTSZ2, and BTSZ3, which show a decrease in grain size as Sn doping increases. Frequency dependence of dielectric permittivity and loss studied in the range temperature and frequency range 30-400oC and 40 Hz–1 MHz, respectively, for BT, BTSZ1, BTSZ2, and BTSZ3 show a normal ferroelectric phase transition behavior. The corresponding dielectric constant and loss at room temperature show that BTSZ2 has the highest dielectric constant and loss of 1671 and 1.6 respectively. The high dielectric constants and relatively lower loss tangent values meet the current demand for device miniaturization in the electronics industry.Keywords: BT-BTSZ ceramics; high energy ball milling; XRD; FESEM; dielectric propertie

Use of library’s internet facilities by Teachers of Government Secondary Schools Basawa District in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State

The study was conducted to assess the Use of Government school Library’s Internet facilities by Teachers of Government Secondary in Sabon Gari Local Government of Kaduna State. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, three research questions were raised and answered. Quantitative research methodology and survey research design were used. The population studied consisted of teachers in Government secondary schools in Sabon Gari Local Government with a total population of 1324 and sample size of 115. Data were collected through questionnaires. The data collected was analyzed using table frequencies and percentages. The findings showed that Government schools’ libraries do not fully utilize Internet facilities; the study revealed that the greatest challenges that impeded the use of Internet facilities by the respondents is lack of library skills as indicated by the respondents and followed by instability of power supply. It is therefore recommended that adequate funds should be provided by government, non- governmental organisations (NGOs), and other philanthropic organization to support the purchasing and maintenance of Internet facilities in the schools. Key Words: Internet facilities, libraries, Government, schoo

Prenatal skull radiography and calvaria histogenesis in Uda and Yankasa breeds of sheep

The anterior fontanelle was opened and radiolucent in the second trimester; at the third trimester, the fontanelle began to shrink and finally closed at birth and became radiopaque. The borders of the orbit and the teeth were both radiolucent and undifferentiated at the second trimester and at the third trimester, and these regions became radiopaque at the second and third trimester, respectively. The histomorphology of the calvarium in the first-trimester foetus had three layers consisting of the mesenchymal and osteoblast cells; as the foetus ages within the second trimester, the mesenchymal cells were transformed into osteoblast, colonies, primitive bone spicules, matured bone spicules, and primitive trabeculae respective, in the third trimester, the primitive trabeculae developed into a matured trabeculae, in the day old, the matured trabeculae transforms into a primitive spongy bone. However, this process occurs earlier in Yankasa than in Uda. The histomorphology of the calvarium during foetal life is similar in the Uda and Yankasa. However, the stages of calvarium development occur earlier and faster in Yankasa than Uda of the same ages. This implies that foetal development and time of parturition could occur earlier in the Yankasa compared to the Uda breeds

Position and Trajectory Tracking Control for the Ball and Plate System using Mixed Sensitivity Problem

This paper presents the position and trajectory tracking control scheme for the ball and plate system (BPS) using the double feedback loop structure (a loop within a loop) for effective control of the system. The inner loop was designed using linear algebraic method by solving a set of Diophantine equations. The outer inner loop was designed using   sensitivity approach. Simulation results showed that the plate was stabilized at 0.3546 seconds, and the ball was able to settle at 1.7087 seconds, when given a circular trajectory of radius 0.4 m with an angular frequency of 1.57 rad/sec, with a trajectory tracking error of 0.0095 m, which shows that the controllers have adaptability, strong robustness and control performance for the ball and plate system.           

Assessment of Quality of Out-patient Prescriptions in the National Health Insurance Scheme Unit of a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The fact that today's evidence based guidelines recommends several drugs in the treatment of a single medical condition make drug treatment particularly challenging. Consequently, many patients use a number of medications a situation referred to as polypharmacy. Polypharmacy is linked to occurrence of health risk through increased drug therapy problems like adverse drug reactions, medication error, adherence problem, economic burden etc. This study characterized the quality of out-patient prescriptions in National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, using some selected indicators of Polypharmacy. These include contraindication, drug interaction, drug for treating side effect of co-prescribed drug and inappropriate dosages. Five Hundred out-patient prescriptions were used for the study. The average number of drug per prescription was 3.95±1.51. About 20.4% of the encounter received prescription with inappropriate combination of five or more drugs. Of this, contraindicated drugs constituted 22.2% of all encounter. There was association between inappropriate prescription and number of drug per prescription (p<0.05). The incidence of inappropriate prescription, potential drug therapy problems, and inappropriate polypharmacy were significantly higher at drug level ≥5 drugs. There is the need to improve on rational prescribing of drugs by retraining of health care providers

Prevalence of Trachoma in Niger State, North Central Nigeria: Results of 25 Population-Based Prevalence Surveys Carried Out with the Global Trachoma Mapping Project.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of trachoma in each of the 25 local government areas (LGAs) of Niger State, Nigeria. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in each Niger State LGA between March and April 2014, as part of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project (GTMP). GTMP protocols were used in planning and conduct of the surveys. Using probability proportional to size, 25 clusters were selected; in each of these clusters, 25 households were enrolled for the survey. All residents aged 1 year and older were examined by GTMP-certified graders for trachomatous inflammation - follicular (TF) and trichiasis using the World Health Organization simplified grading scheme. Additionally, we collected data on household water and sanitation facilities. RESULTS: Only one LGA (Kontagora) had TF prevalence in 1-9-year-olds above 10%; one other LGA (Rafi) had TF prevalence between 5.0 and 9.9%. Six LGAs need trichiasis surgical services provided to achieve a prevalence of <1 case of trichiasis per 1000 total population. The proportion of households with access to improved water sources ranged from 23 to 100%, while household-level access to improved latrines ranged from 8 to 100% across the LGAs. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of trachoma is relatively low in most of Niger State. There is a need for community-based trichiasis surgical services in a small number of LGAs. The trachoma elimination program could engage water and sanitation agencies to augment access to improved water and sanitation facilities, for human rights reasons. Kontagora and Rafi need community-based interventions to reduce the prevalence of active trachoma