Effects of Occupational Hazards on Employees’ Productivity

It is a fact that profit maximization serves as the key/core objective for setting up business organizations (Bamiduro; 2006); however, in achieving this objective, there is the need to consider the welfare and safety of workers in the organization. Considering the welfare and safety of employees in order to boost productivity and profitability, hazard must be minimized or prevented because it serves as a negative catalyst for declined productivity. This paper tends to illuminate the effect of occupational hazards on employees productivity because it negatively affects productivity, which in turn affects organizational profitability. The researchers adopted the combination of secondary and primary sources of data. The secondary data involves the use of journals, periodicals, internet, and related materials while the primary data envelops questionnaires from respondents. Chi-square was used to test the hypothesis while the data collected through questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive (percentages) and inferential statistics (regression analysis and coefficient of multiple determinations (R2).The results of the study indicate that constant exposure of employees to hazardous substances reduces productivity. The results also indicate that training of employees on accident prevention can positively affect productivity. The conclusion is that occupational hazards have negative effect on productivity. The recommendation is that organizations need to provide safe and conducive environment for the performance of the job. There is also the need to provide training and educative programmes in order to prevent or minimize occupational hazards and boost productivity. Keyword: Effect, occupational hazards, employees, productivity, and organization

POWER SYSTEMS OPERATION IMPROVEMENT CONSIDERING LOSS MINIMIZATION AND VOLTAGE STABILITY ENHANCEMENT

The challenge of energy and power losses during electrical energy transmission from generation plants to users is a major problem that cannot be over-emphasized. These Losses are inevitable because they are inherent in the conduction of electrical energy through physical means but can be minimized. This paper presents a VSC-PSO method for optimizing the power system operation by simultaneously minimizing the loss and enhancing the voltage stability which are the objective functions. The optimal power flow (OPF) was performed on IEEE 30-bus system with Newton Raphson algorithm implemented in MATLAB simulation software. The simulation results showed that the VSC-PSO approach performed more excellently with concurrent consideration of line loss reduction and voltage stability improvement when compared with other methods in literatur

Extraction and characterization of gelatin from cow bones: Using substitute demineratizing agent(H2SO4

No Abstract.Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 13 (2) 2007: pp. 189-19

Structure-Based Voiced/Usable Speech Detection Using State Space Embedding

Abstract: The process of speech production in the human system is very complex, possesses nonlinearities, and can only be precisely modeled in terms of nonlinear dynamics. A non-linear speech classification approach is proposed, which classifies speech based on features extracted from Takens’ Method of Delays, a technique used to reconstruct signals into a trajectory in multi-dimensional state space. In this research, two types of speech detection are presented, namely, voiced and usable speech (for speaker identification purposes). The proposed approach has been able to yield a probability of error of 12 % in noisy environments for voiced speech detection, and 78 % correct usable speech detection by comparing the structures of embedded voiced speech frames with embedded unvoiced speech frames, and embedded usable speech frames with embedded unusable speech. Some applications of this speech detection technique include the enhancement of speaker identification and speech recognition systems. 1

Profile of Nigerians with diabetes mellitus - Diabcare Nigeria study group (2008): Results of a multicenter study

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is the commonest endocrine-metabolic disorder in Nigeria similar to the experience in other parts of the world. The aim was to assess the clinical and laboratory profile, and evaluate the quality of care of Nigerian diabetics with a view to planning improved diabetes care. Materials and Methods: In a multicenter study across seven tertiary health centers in Nigeria, the clinical and laboratory parameters of diabetic out-patients were evaluated. Clinical parameters studied include type of diabetes, anthropometry, and blood pressure (BP) status, chronic complications of diabetes, and treatment types. Laboratory data assessed included fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h post-prandial (2-HrPP) glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), urinalysis, serum lipids, electrolytes, urea, and creatinine. Results: A total of 531 patients, 209 (39.4%) males and 322 (60.6%) females enrolled. The mean age of the patients was 57.1 ± 12.3 years with the mean duration of diabetes of 8.8 ± 6.6 years. Majority (95.4%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) compared to type 1 DM (4.6%), with P < 0.001. The mean FPG, 2-HrPP glucose, and HbA1c were 8.1 ± 3.9 mmol/L, 10.6 ± 4.6 mmol/L, and 8.3 ± 2.2%, respectively. Only 170 (32.4%) and 100 (20.4%) patients achieved the ADA and IDF glycemic targets, respectively. Most patients (72.8%) did not practice self-monitoring of blood glucose. Hypertension was found in 322 (60.9%), with mean systolic BP 142.0 ± 23.7 mmHg, and mean diastolic BP 80.7 ± 12.7 mmHg. Diabetic complications found were peripheral neuropathy (59.2%), retinopathy (35.5%), cataracts (25.2%), cerebrovascular disease (4.7%), diabetic foot ulcers (16.0%), and nephropathy (3.2%). Conclusion: Most Nigerian diabetics have suboptimal glycemic control, are hypertensives, and have chronic complications of DM. Improved quality of care and treatment to target is recommended to reduce diabetes-related morbidity and mortality