Geospatial Analysis of Flood Problems in Jimeta Riverine Community of Adamawa State, Nigeria

Floods are among the most devastating natural disasters in the world, claiming more lives and causing more property damages than any other natural phenomena. In recent times, the incidence of flooding across Nigeria has left both the government and the governed devastated. It is no longer news that flooding and its attendant consequences are injurious to man while the spatial dimensions are often not mapped. This study, therefore, examined the nature of water level/extent and vulnerability in the riverine community of Jimeta, Adamawa State. Using time series analysis, four epoch satellite images covering the study area was used to evaluate the geospatial coverage of water along the watercourse of Upper Benue bordering the study area. Using ILWIS 3.8, ArcGIS 10.1 and statistical analysis, the spatial extent and vulnerability of settlements was mapped. Highly vulnerable (50m buffer) were differentiated from low risk zones (100m buffers). Study revealed that besides rainfall, excess water from Cameroun dam is largely responsible for the identified high level of inundation.  The impacts of flood on the local people are devastating as lives and properties have been lost while economic activities reduced due to health risks and mass migration to neighbouring villages and towns. Early flood warning system (EFWS), rapid response mechanism and outfit, strict adherence to zoning and building principles, evacuation of waste and maintenance of drainage systems, mass awareness campaign on flooding and other environmental hazards and, continuous rehabilitation and assistance of victims as a government, individual and NGOs are recommended hence synergy among stake holders is advocated. Keywords: Flood, GIS Buffer, Settlement, Vulnerability, Water Coverage

Managing Urban Crimes with Geoinformatics: A Case Study of Benin City, Nigeria

In recent time, the increase in rural-urban migration has continued to have both positive and negative impact on the receiving urban environment. Social vices such as terrorism, urban crimes, prostitution, drug cartel and urban slums are on the increase and as a result, most infrastructural facilities are been overused resulting to urban blight. In most developing countries like Nigeria, the impact of corruption and act of criminality has equally added to this menace and effort by security organisations to restore urban sanity has yielded little or no result due largely to the use of mundane policing methods. Using Geoinformatics methodologies (ArcGIS and ILWIS software), results of buffering; network, proximity, and crime service area analyses on crime hotspots in Benin City reveals that some areas are more vulnerable than others. Base on statistical analysis of administered questionnaire, the study shows that perceived higher income (33%), employment opportunities (24%), basic infrastructures (15%), quality of life (10%), change of environment (9%) and other reasons  put together (9%) are mainly responsible for migration and consequent urban growth. The location of police stations vis-à-vis police-public relations was observed to be very poor. The study also revealed that the major crimes in the city are armed robbery (29%), burglary (22%), rape (19%), pick pocket (15%), murder/assassination (4%) and other petty crimes put together (11%). Combating crime requires intelligent ICT system and a pragmatic intelligent synergy between the public and well-prepared police force. Reducing indiscriminate rural-urban migration through rural infrastructure and police welfare/logistics improvements are recommended. Keywords: Crime, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Geoinformatics, Remote Sensing, Urban Environment

Sleep Disorders, Obesity, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Risk

In this paper we describe a concept-wise multi-preference semantics for description logic which has its root in the preferential approach for modeling defeasible reasoning in knowledge representation. We argue that this proposal, beside satisfying some desired properties, such as KLM postulates, and avoiding the drowning problem, also defines a plausible notion of semantics. We motivate the plausibility of the concept-wise multi-preference semantics by developing a logical semantics of self-organising maps, which have been proposed as possible candidates to explain the psychological mechanisms underlying category generalisation, in terms of multi-preference interpretations

Eff ect of a congregation-based intervention on uptake of HIV testing and linkage to care in pregnant women in Nigeria (Baby Shower): a cluster randomised trial

Background Few eff ective community-based interventions exist to increase HIV testing and uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnant women in hard-to-reach resource-limited settings. We assessed whether delivery of an intervention through churches, the Healthy Beginning Initiative, would increase uptake of HIV testing in pregnant women compared with standard health facility referral. Methods In this cluster randomised trial, we enrolled self-identifi ed pregnant women aged 18 years and older who attended churches in southeast Nigeria. We randomised churches (clusters) to intervention or control groups, stratifi ed by mean annual number of infant baptisms (<80 vs ≥80). The Healthy Beginning Initiative intervention included health education and on-site laboratory testing implemented during baby showers in intervention group churches, whereas participants in control group churches were referred to health facilities as standard. Participants and investigators were aware of church allocation. The primary outcome was confi rmed HIV testing. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, identifi er number NCT 01795261. Findings Between Jan 20, 2013, and Aug 31, 2014, we enrolled 3002 participants at 40 churches (20 per group). 1309 (79%) of 1647 women attended antenatal care in the intervention group compared with 1080 (80%) of 1355 in the control group. 1514 women (92%) in the intervention group had an HIV test compared with 740 (55%) controls (adjusted odds ratio 11·2, 95% CI 8·77–14·25; p<0·0001). Interpretation Culturally adapted, community-based programmes such as the Healthy Beginning Initiative can be eff ective in increasing HIV screening in pregnant women in resource-limited settings

Mammography screening: views from women and primary care physicians in Crete

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and a leading cause of death from cancer in women in Europe. Although breast cancer incidence is on the rise worldwide, breast cancer mortality over the past 25 years has been stable or decreasing in some countries and a fall in breast cancer mortality rates in most European countries in the 1990s was reported by several studies, in contrast, in Greece have not reported these favourable trends. In Greece, the age-standardised incidence and mortality rate for breast cancer per 100.000 in 2006 was 81,8 and 21,7 and although it is lower than most other countries in Europe, the fall in breast cancer mortality that observed has not been as great as in other European countries. There is no national strategy for screening in this country. This study reports on the use of mammography among middleaged women in rural Crete and investigates barriers to mammography screening encountered by women and their primary care physicians. Methods: Design: Semi-structured individual interviews. Setting and participants: Thirty women between 45–65 years of age, with a mean age of 54,6 years, and standard deviation 6,8 from rural areas of Crete and 28 qualified primary care physicians, with a mean age of 44,7 years and standard deviation 7,0 serving this rural population. Main outcome measure: Qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Most women identified several reasons for not using mammography. These included poor knowledge of the benefits and indications for mammography screening, fear of pain during the procedure, fear of a serious diagnosis, embarrassment, stress while anticipating the results, cost and lack of physician recommendation. Physicians identified difficulties in scheduling an appointment as one reason women did not use mammography and both women and physicians identified distance from the screening site, transportation problems and the absence of symptoms as reasons for non-use. Conclusion: Women are inhibited from participating in mammography screening in rural Crete. The provision of more accessible screening services may improve this. However physician recommendation is important in overcoming women's inhibitions. Primary care physicians serving rural areas need to be aware of barriers preventing women from attending mammography screening and provide women with information and advice in a sensitive way so women can make informed decisions regarding breast caner screening

Self-monitoring of blood pressure in hypertension: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) appears to reduce BP in hypertension but important questions remain regarding effective implementation and which groups may benefit most. This individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis was performed to better understand the effectiveness of BP self-monitoring to lower BP and control hypertension. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomised trials comparing self-monitoring to no self-monitoring in hypertensive patients (June 2016). Two reviewers independently assessed articles for eligibility and the authors of eligible trials were approached requesting IPD. Of 2,846 articles in the initial search, 36 were eligible. IPD were provided from 25 trials, including 1 unpublished study. Data for the primary outcomes-change in mean clinic or ambulatory BP and proportion controlled below target at 12 months-were available from 15/19 possible studies (7,138/8,292 [86%] of randomised participants). Overall, self-monitoring was associated with reduced clinic systolic blood pressure (sBP) compared to usual care at 12 months (-3.2 mmHg, [95% CI -4.9, -1.6 mmHg]). However, this effect was strongly influenced by the intensity of co-intervention ranging from no effect with self-monitoring alone (-1.0 mmHg [-3.3, 1.2]), to a 6.1 mmHg (-9.0, -3.2) reduction when monitoring was combined with intensive support. Self-monitoring was most effective in those with fewer antihypertensive medications and higher baseline sBP up to 170 mmHg. No differences in efficacy were seen by sex or by most comorbidities. Ambulatory BP data at 12 months were available from 4 trials (1,478 patients), which assessed self-monitoring with little or no co-intervention. There was no association between self-monitoring and either lower clinic or ambulatory sBP in this group (clinic -0.2 mmHg [-2.2, 1.8]; ambulatory 1.1 mmHg [-0.3, 2.5]). Results for diastolic blood pressure (dBP) were similar. The main limitation of this work was that significant heterogeneity remained. This was at least in part due to different inclusion criteria, self-monitoring regimes, and target BPs in included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Self-monitoring alone is not associated with lower BP or better control, but in conjunction with co-interventions (including systematic medication titration by doctors, pharmacists, or patients; education; or lifestyle counselling) leads to clinically significant BP reduction which persists for at least 12 months. The implementation of self-monitoring in hypertension should be accompanied by such co-interventions

Behaviour change strategies for reducing blood pressure-related disease burden: findings from a global implementation research programme.

The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases comprises the majority of the world's public research funding agencies. It is focussed on implementation research to tackle the burden of chronic diseases in low- and middle-income countries and amongst vulnerable populations in high-income countries. In its inaugural research call, 15 projects were funded, focussing on lowering blood pressure-related disease burden. In this study, we describe a reflexive mapping exercise to identify the behaviour change strategies undertaken in each of these projects.Using the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, each team rated the capability, opportunity and motivation of the various actors who were integral to each project (e.g. community members, non-physician health workers and doctors in projects focussed on service delivery). Teams then mapped the interventions they were implementing and determined the principal policy categories in which those interventions were operating. Guidance was provided on the use of Behaviour Change Wheel to support consistency in responses across teams. Ratings were iteratively discussed and refined at several group meetings.There was marked variation in the perceived capabilities, opportunities and motivation of the various actors who were being targeted for behaviour change strategies. Despite this variation, there was a high degree of synergy in interventions functions with most teams utilising complex interventions involving education, training, enablement, environmental restructuring and persuasion oriented strategies. Similar policy categories were also targeted across teams particularly in the areas of guidelines, communication/marketing and service provision with few teams focussing on fiscal measures, regulation and legislation.The large variation in preparedness to change behaviour amongst the principal actors across these projects suggests that the interventions themselves will be variably taken up, despite the similarity in approaches taken. The findings highlight the importance of contextual factors in driving success and failure of research programmes. Forthcoming outcome and process evaluations from each project will build on this exploratory work and provide a greater understanding of factors that might influence scale-up of intervention strategies