Bacteriology of Post Caesarean Wound Infection in a Specialist Hospital in Kano, North Western Nigeria

Post caesarean wound infection is a common cause of maternal morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries where strict adherence to infection control procedures is low. The aim of the present study is to establish the spectrum of microbes causing post caesarean wound infection and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in our locality. Specimens collected were processed and antibiotic sensitivity pattern determined by disc diffusion method. Out of 1,230 patients in this study, 246(20%) were infected. Of which 206 (83.7%) yielded growth. E. coli 65(28.8%) was the most frequently isolated pathogen followed by Proteus mirabilis (23.0%) and Staphylococcus aureus (19.0%) Bacterial pathogens were resistant to commonly used antibiotics such as cotrimoxazole, tetracycline, cefuroxime and cloxacillin, while cephalosporin and fluoroquinolones were highly effective against the isolates. Emergency caesarean section received the risk of post caesarean wound infection. The cephalosporin especially ceftriaxone will be useful as prophylactic antibiotic when combined with metronidazole and administered just before surgery is commenced.Key words: Post caesarean wound infection, bacterial isolates, antibiotic sensitivity patter

Algorithm for Fingerprint Verification System

Extraction of minutiae based features from good quality fingerprint images is more effective for fingerprint recognition in comparison with features from low quality fingerprint. In this paper, a new technique for fingerprint feature extraction based on ridge pattern is proposed. Robust features are extracted from fingerprint image notwithstanding the quality of the image. The variation within different person fingerprint is established using centre of gravity of the fingerprint image as the reference point for effective classification. Similarity measure in term of Euclidean distance is compute for test fingerprint image

Performances of the Industrial, Oil and Gas and the Insurance Sectors in Nigeria – A Correlational Analysis

This paper comparatively examines the performances of Nigeria’s Oil and Gas, Insurance and the Industrial Sectors using their Market Capitalization for a period of 2009-2015 sourced from the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test was used to ensure the stationarity of the distribution by means of differencing, ANOVA for the analysis of variances while Pearson Correlation was employed to empirically establish the direction and strength of relationships between sectors’ performances. Findings showed that the industrial sector’s market capitalization consistently reduces as that of the oil and gas sector increases, given a significant strong negative correlation coefficient of -0.738 for the relationship between them. As trend analysis also showed that the performances of the oil and gas sector has been declining since the latter years under review (2014/2015), the paper recommended economic diversification through development of other sectors, particularly the industrial sector. Keywords: Oil and Gas Sector, Insurance Sector, Industrial Sector, and  Market Capitalization JEL CLASSIFICATION: G10, G15,  G19,.

Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern in Kano, Nigeria

Background: Nosocomial infection caused by methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) presents with management difficulties in infected patients due to their resistance to a number of other frontline antibiotics and constitutessignificant epidemiological problems. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of methicillin resistant S. aureus and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in clinical isolates in Kano. There is dearth of  information onthis subject in Kano.Method: One hundred and eighty five (185) S. aureus isolates from various clinical specimens obtained over a 12-month period in the Microbiology Department of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) were subjected to methicillin susceptibility testing, while including susceptibility testing to other antibiotics by the disc diffusion methods.Result: Out of 185 S. aureus isolates tested, 53(28.6%) were found to be methicillin resistant. While 38(62%) isolates were obtained from in-patients, 15(28%) were from out-patients. Surgical wound infection had the highest prevalence of 32(60%) isolates. Antibiotics sensitivity results of methicillin susceptible staphylococcus aureus MSSA) and MRSA with the third generation cephalosporins and the quinilones were encouraging. AllMRSA isolates were sensitive to vancomycin.Conclusion: A prevalence of 28.6% MRSA in this environment calls for urgent intervention strategies due to its possible rapid spread and therapeutic problem

Analysis of accidents caused by human factors in the oil and gas industry using the HFACS-OGI framework

Background: Human factors have been identified as the most common causes of catastrophic accidents in the oil and gas industry. Therefore, this study aims to analyze human causal factors of accidents in the oil and gas industry using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System for the Oil and Gas Industry (HFACS-OGI) framework. Methods: This study involved a quantitative data collection of 184 accident cases in the oil and gas industry that occurred from 2013 to 2017 from the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) database. The causal factors of these accidents were coded using the HFACS-OGI framework. Accident data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and χ2 test. Results: Study findings reveal that 23% of all accidents was recorded in 2013. 32% of accidents occurred in Asia, while 69% of accidents were recorded in onshore locations. Contractors were involved in 86% of accidents, while 28% of accidents occurred during drilling, workover and well services. Contractor’s work environment was the main human factor in 90% of accident cases. Conclusion: The HFACS-OGI framework proves to be a vital tool for robust accident analysis of human factors in the oil and gas industry

Impact of Capital Market on Domestic Resource Mobilization for Economic Development in Nigeria (2000-2015)

The study investigated the impact of Nigerian capital market on domestic resource mobilization for economic development, using time series data from 2000 to 2015. The study employed secondary data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin, the Nigerian Stock Exchange Fact Book and Securities and Exchange Commission database. To evaluate the impact of the independent variables on the dependent, the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method of estimation was employed. Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test was used to identify the order of integration. Economic growth was proxied by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while the capital market variables considered include: Market Capitalization (MCAP), Total New Issues (TNI) and Value of Transactions (VLT). Applying Johansen and Juselius co-integration test, the result showed that there was at most one co-integrating equation in the model, implying that there is a long run relationship between the variables in the model. The causality test results suggest bidirectional causation between the GDP and the Value of Transactions (VLT) and to the GDP but not vice-versa. Using two-tailed test, the F-statistics is significant at 5 percent level of significance. Furthermore, there was no evidence of reverse causation from GDP to market capitalization and there was no evidence of independence causation between the GDP and Total New Issues (TNI). The study showed that the major problem with domestic resource mobilization in Nigeria have been that not enough savings are being generated to facilitate the required investment. Also, the type of savings available does not easily make financial intermediation possible. The Nigerian stock market has been constrained by policies that tend to make the exchange look like a mechanism by which government raise loan finance rather than an instrument for mobilizing industrial finance. It is recommended therefore that the regulatory authority should appraise and modify the restrictive policies that constrained resource mobilization capacity of the Nigerian capital market

Assessment of Micro Flora, Deoxynivalenol (Don) and Fumonisin Contamination of Grains sold in Local Markets, Nigeria

Fusarium the major deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin producing species of fungi grow as a corn endophyte often without causing disease symptoms in plant. Climate changes resulting in appropriate weather conditions helps in Fusarium growth causing seedling blight, stalk rot and ear rot. Thus most grain contamination of Fusarium comes from the farm. This study was carried out to assess the micro flora and level of DON and fumonisin contamination in Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, Triticum aestivum and Pennisetum americanum sold in Ota. Forty samples comprising ten of each grain type was analyzed, Fumonisin at concentration ≥4.0 mg/kg (ppm) was detected in eight samples of Zea mays and two samples of Triticum aestivum while DON at concentrations ≥1.25mg/kg (ppm) was detected in all the wheat samples using the Rida® Quick Fumonisin and DON test kits. The total aerobic plate count for the samples ranged from 2.0×104 to 8.4×106 cfu/g, fungal count ranged from 1.0×104 to 6.0×106 cfu/g while coliform count ranged from < 10 to 2.0×103 cfu/g. The predominant microbial isolates from the grains included species of Fusarium, Aspergillus, Mucor, Penicillium, Bacillus, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas. Infection of grains by fungal species and contamination with mycotoxins can generally be influenced by favourable weather conditions. Measures to address climate changes, effective hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) and good storage system are advocated to prevent mould contamination and deleterious mycotoxin production in grains

Trust in e-procurement

The efficiency of e-Procurement is based on the imperatives, trust and perceived risk. Trust is established as a major factor moderating transaction processes on the internet. It has implicit relational properties and therefore needs the context of a relationship to develop. Previous works have suggested that lack of trust is a major impediment to e-Procurement. Trust and perceived risk exhibits inverse relationships and, paradoxically have causative effect on e-Procurement. EProcurement organisations are in continuous search on how their consumer’s trust can be evaluated. In this study, based on a synthesis of literature, we offer an integrative model of consumer trust in e- Procurement. It is a mathematical model that not only maps trust behaviour, but also sensitive and accommodative of an acceptable risk threshold in electronic transaction environments. It also proffers solution to the exploration of consumer’s trust evaluation