Security and Privacy Issues in IoT Healthcare Application for Disabled Users in Developing Economies

In this paper, we explore the security and privacy issues of Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare applications for special needs users. IoT enables health-related organizations to lift important data from diverse sources in real-time and this helps in precise decision-making. The transformation of the health sector, required enhancement and efficiency of protective systems, thereby reducing data vulnerability and hence, providing opportunities for secure patient data, particularly, for special needs patients. A quantitative method for purposive sampling technique was adopted and eighty-eight respondents provided the process of how the IoT technology was utilised. Data findings indicated that IoT monitoring devices have the detective ability for a person with special needs living alone with problems related to vital signs of diseases or disabilities. Personal patient health records are integrated into the e-health Centre via IoT technologies. For data privacy, security, and confidentiality, patients' records are kept on Personal Health Record Systems (PHRS). The research revealed suspected breaches of information due to cyber-attacks on the probability of false data errors in the PHRS, leading to special needs personal data leakage

Endocrine disrupting compounds exposure and testis development in mammals

In the last few decades, there is substantial evidence that male reproductive function is deteriorating in humans and wildlife and this is associated with unintentional exposure to widely used synthetic chemicals. Subsequently, much has been done to show that certain chemicals in the environment adversely interfere with the developing fetal gonads of the laboratory animals. Some in vitro studies have demonstrated treatment-induced reproductive problems in offspring exposed to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) which are similar to those observed in wildlife and human population. Few EDC studies have demonstrated that there are certain periods of gestation when the developing fetus is highly sensitive and at risk of small endocrine changes. Similar observations have been made in the sewage sludge model, however, while animal studies have been insightful in providing valuable information about the range of effects that can be attributed to in utero exposure to EDCs, varying levels of maternal doses administered in different studies exaggerated extrapolation of these results to human. Thus the EDC concentration representative of fetal exposure levels is uncertain because of the complexities of its nature. So far, the level of fetal exposure can only be roughly estimated. There is substantial evidence from animal data to prove that EDCs can adversely affect reproductive development and function in male and more has accumulated on the mechanisms by which they exert their effects. This paper therefore, reviews previous studies to highlight the extent to which testis development can be disrupted during fetal life

Sequences of numbers obtained by digit and iterative digit sums of Sophie Germain primes and its variants

Sequences were generated by the digit and iterative digit sums of Sophie Germain and Safe primes and their variants. The results of the digit and iterative digit sum of Sophie Germain and Safe primes were almost the same. The same applied to the square and cube of the respective primes. Also, the results of the digit and iterative digit sum of primes that are not Sophie Germain are the same with the primes that are notSafe. The results of the digit and iterative digit sum of prime that are either Sophie Germain or Safe are like the combination of the results of the respective primes when considered separatel

Determinants of skilled care utilization among pregnant women residents in an urban community in Kwara State, Northcentral Nigeria

Background: Skilled attendant at delivery (SBA) is one of the key indicators used in assessing progress towards improved maternal health. This study aimed at identifying factors influencing SBA utilization in Ilorin, Nigeria.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out using multi-stage sampling technique among 400 participants in Ilorin, Northcentral Nigeria. A pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection, and data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: SBA supervised 73.8% births. Determinants of skilled birth attendance at delivery include higher education (AOR; 10.94, 95% CI; 3.60-33.26), having only one child (AOR; 4.33, 95% CI; 1.18-15.82), having at least 4 ANC attendance (AOR; 18.84, 95% CI; 8.95-55.82) and residing near delivery sites (AOR; 11.49, 95% CI; 2.43-55.56).Conclusion: The proportion of births supervised by SBA needs improvement in Northcentral Nigeria. Full implementation of reproductive health policies will enhance skilled births in Nigeria.Keywords: Skilled birth attendants, Antenatal care, utilizatio

Development and Evaluation of a Combined Castor Seed Roaster-Oil Expeller

This study evaluated optimal process parameters for mechanical oil expression from castor seeds after designing a castor seed roaster-expeller. The effect of input variables (Moisture Content at 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10% db; Roasting Temperature at 80, 90, 100,110 and 120oC and Applied Pressure at 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 MPa) on the oil yield, expression efficiency, expression loss and energy used were determined using Central Composite Design in Response Surface Methodology for the optimization and modelling. Analysis of Variance was employed to determine the level of significance (P≤ 0.05). The optimum expression efficiency, expression loss and minimum energy used were 72.86%, 0.63% and 584.19 Watts obtained at experimental conditions of 15.00 MPa applied pressure, 6% moisture content and 85.52°C heating temperature respectively. The R2 values of the developed models ranged from 0.813 to 0.982 at 95% confidence level. The developed combined castor seed roaster-oil expeller was found to be efficient and developed models showed adequate prediction with good relationships between dependent and independent variables. Keywords: castor seed, oil extraction, modeling, optimization DOI: 10.7176/ISDE/11-1-07 Publication date: January 31st 2020

The Contribution of Dysphagia to Acute Stroke Morbidity and Mortality in Nigeria: A Prospective Study

Background: The assessment of time-trend morbidity and mortality in acute stroke is critical to clinical policy decisions and resource allocation. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of dysphagia in acute stroke and the impact of dysphagia on short term stroke outcome (30 days post-stroke). Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal study. Bedside screening for dysphagia modified Rankin score (MRS) and Barthel Index (BI) were performed on acute stroke patients on day 1, day 7, day 14 and day 30 after stroke to determine the frequency of dysphagia. Patients with dysphagia were then compared with age- and gender-matched controls (stroke patients without dysphagia) in terms of stroke characteristics and 30-day outcome. Results:Of the recruited 200 patients, 99 (49.5%) had dysphagia. Patients with intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke had a significantly higher prevalence of dysphagia (64% vs 36%; p Conclusion: Severe stroke, subcortical stroke and haemorrhagic stroke types were significantly associated with dysphagia at baseline. Dysphagia adversely influenced 30-days morbidity and case fatality in this cohort of acute stroke patients

Security and privacy issues in IoT healthcare application for disabled users in developing economies

In this paper, we explore the security and privacy issues of Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare applications for special needs users. IoT enables health-related organizations to lift important data from diverse sources in real-time and this helps in precise decision-making. The transformation of the health sector, required enhancement and efficiency of protective systems, thereby reducing data vulnerability and hence, providing opportunities for secure patient data, particularly, for special needs patients. A quantitative method for purposive sampling technique was adopted and eighty-eight respondents provided the process of how the IoT technology was utilised. Data findings indicated that IoT monitoring devices have the detective ability for a person with special needs living alone with problems related to vital signs of diseases or disabilities. Personal patient health records are integrated into the e-health Centre via IoT technologies. For data privacy, security, and confidentiality, patients' records are kept on Personal Health Record Systems (PHRS). The research revealed suspected breaches of information due to cyber-attacks on the probability of false data errors in the PHRS, leading to special needs personal data leakage

Genetic Variations, Heritability and Genetic Advance Studies among Okra Accessions grown in different Agro-ecological Zones in Nigeria

Some level of variation within crop varieties is highly important for its improvement with the aids of good plant breeding methods. A field research experiment was carried out with the aim to estimate genetic variation and heritability in the okra accessions grown in different agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Twenty okra accessions were obtained from various locations in different agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. Twenty okra accessions were evaluated between April to August 2018 at Ekiti State University Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State. These twenty okra accessions constituted the treatment, which was lied out in a RCBD in a three replicates. The result were highly significant (p<0.01) for all the traits studied. Magnitude of the phenotypic coefficient of variances were slightly higher than genotypic coefficient of variances in this study which showed that environment did not much influence the estimates of genetic performance. The coefficient of phenotypic and genotypic variances were high in the traits studied. Heritability estimates ranges from 75.04% for days to 50% flowering to 98.85% for weight of 100 seeds. High heritability with high genetic advance were observed for all the studied traits indicating that they are governed by additive gene action and this could be improved through simple selection except days to 50% flowering with the lowest heritability value coupled with the lowest genetic advance value lesser than 10%

Primary umbilical endometriosis: Radical excision (omphalectomy) and laparoscopic management of associated pelvic endometriosis in a low resource tertiary hospital

Primary umbilical endometriosis (PUE) is a rare condition affecting 0.5 – 1% of all extragenital endometriosis cases. We reviewed the data of five women with umbilical endometriosis retrospectively. The age range was 29 – 46 years, and they were all nulligravid at presentation. Common clinical presentation was umbilical pain and masses, dysmenorrhea, and primary infertility. Radical umbilical excision was performed to remove the nodule as a definitive treatment. Diagnostic laparoscopy was performed, followed by varying degrees of operative laparoscopic procedures. They all had endometriosis in the pelvis. Three out of five women operated became pregnant and had live births. Complete resolution of clinical symptoms with a reduction in umbilical and menstrual pain scores occurred. In resource-constrained settings, diagnosis, and treatment of PUE may be challenging. Clinical suspicion and appropriate case management are critical for good reproductive outcomes and quality of life. &nbsp; L'endométriose ombilicale primaire (PUE) est une maladie rare affectant 0,5 à 1 % de tous les cas d'endométriose extragénitale. Nous avons examiné les données de cinq femmes atteintes d'endométriose ombilicale rétrospectivement. La tranche d'âge était de 29 à 46 ans, et ils étaient tous nulligravides à la présentation. Le tableau clinique commun était la douleur et les masses ombilicales, la dysménorrhée et l'infertilité primaire. Une excision ombilicale radicale a été réalisée pour retirer le nodule comme traitement définitif. La laparoscopie diagnostique a été réalisée, suivie de divers degrés de procédures laparoscopiques opératoires. Ils avaient tous une endométriose du bassin. Trois femmes opérées sur cinq sont tombées enceintes et ont eu des naissances vivantes. Une résolution complète des symptômes cliniques avec une réduction des scores de douleur ombilicale et menstruelle s'est produite. Dans les milieux à ressources limitées, le diagnostic et le traitement du PUE peuvent être difficiles. La suspicion clinique et une prise en charge appropriée des cas sont essentielles pour de bons résultats en matière de reproduction et une bonne qualité de vie