Internet-based technique and social support in the management of depression among secondary school teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Depression represents one of the major health concerns in the recent time and affects deeply individuals, families and has tremendous effects for the society. This study therefore examined the internet-based technique and social support in the management of depression among secondary school teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Pretest-posttest, control group quasi-experimental design with a 2 x 2 factorial matrix was used in the study. Simple random sampling technique was used in sampling 77 participants from 4 local government area in Oyo State, Nigeria. The respondents were measured with validated instrument of .95 and the data obtained was analyzed using t-test statistical analysis. Two research hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that there was significant difference in the depression of secondary school teachers exposed to internet-based technique and those in the control group (t = 76.91; p < 0.05) and there was significant difference in the depression of secondary school teachers with high social support and those with low social support (t = 37.82; p < 0.05). In view of these findings, the study recommended that educational stakeholders should intensify their effort to organize conferences on the implications of internet-based technique and social support as effective interventions towards managing the depression and that curriculum planner should try as much as possible to include in the scheme of teacher training, skills on internet-based technique

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected prisoners : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Data on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among prison inmates are limited and not previously synthesized in a systematic manner. The objective of this study was to provide accurate and up-to-date ART adherence estimates among prison inmates. We searched electronic databases for all studies reporting adherence as a primary or secondary outcome among prison inmates. A random-effects model was used to pool adherence rates; sensitivity, heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. Eleven studies involving 2895 HIV-infected prison inmates were included. The studies were carried out between 1992 and 2011 and reported between 1998 and 2013. A pooled analysis of all studies indicated a pooled estimate of 54.6% (95% confidence interval 48.1–60.9%) of prison inmates had adequate (≥95%) ART adherence. The adherence estimates were significantly higher among cross-studies and studies that used self-reported measures. In summary, our findings indicate that optimal adherence remains a challenge among prison inmates. It is crucial to monitor ART adherence and develop appropriate interventions to improve adherence among these population

Studies on Some Physical Properties of Dikanut Seeds

The physical properties of dikanut seeds sold in Nigerian markets were determined.   The dried seeds were evaluated for the principal dimensions, weight, volume, true density, bulk density, and porosity, angle of repose, static coefficient of friction and specific heat capacity.   The average three principal dimensions were 2.375, 1.592 and 0.778cm.  The seeds had an average weight of 1.904g, volume of 2.38cm3, density of 0.832g/cm3, bulk density of 0.475g/cm3, porosity of 43%, and surface area of 3.468cm2.   Angle of repose and coefficient of friction varied quadratically with moisture content.   The specific heat capacity of dikanuts was measured at four moisture contents and eight temperatures.   The specific heat of dikanut varied from 1.9333J/g?C to 6.075J/g?C for moisture contents between 3% and 30% and those that were used to model multiple simple regression equations expressing specific heat as a function of moisture content. Key words: Dikanut, seed, dimension, specific heat capacit

Consumer Purchase Behaviour in a Frequently bought product Category: Investigation and measure of Brand loyalty.

Past research has predominantly relied on models without incorporating heterogeneity as part of their methodological tools. This research investigates different ways of modeling brand loyalty using a competing risk model that incorporate brand loyalty and study its time dependence. We introduce previous models by including switch-specific hazard functions, repeat purchases, marketing mix Variables, unobserved heterogeneity and mover- stage type loyalty. An empirical example based on household purchases of disposable products is provided to illustrate the modeling approach. Results indicate that ignoring heterogeneity will lead to biased inferences concerning time dependence of brand loyalty. Keywords: Heterogeneity, Mover-Stayer loyalty, Hazard function, and Marketing mi

Application of Quantitative Forecasting Models in a Manufacturing Industry

Time series forecasting analysis has become a major tool in different applications for the Manufacturing Company. Among the most effective approaches for analyzing time series data is ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average). In this study we used Box-Jenkins methodology to build ARIMA model for annual sales forecast for 7up Bottling Company Plc for the period from January 2010 to December 2015, given the available monthly sales data. After the model specification; the best model for production was ARIMA (1, 1, 1) and for utilization was ARIMA (0, 1, 1). A 12 months forecast have also been made to determine the expected amount of sales revenue in year 2016. The time plot reveals seasonal variation. It thus concludes that that there is increase in sales revenue of Company with time, hence these models can be adopted for sales, production, utilization and demand forecasting in Nigeria, Keywords: ARIMA, Box-Jenkins, forecasting, production and utilization model, Time series analysis

Linear Optimization Techniques for Product-Mix of Paints Production in Nigeria

Many paint producers in Nigeria do not lend themselves to flexible production process which is important for them to manage the use of resources for effective optimal production. These goals can be achieved through the application of optimization models in their resources allocation and utilisation. This research focuses on linear optimization for achieving product- mix optimization in terms of the product identification and the right quantity in paint production in Nigeria for better profit and optimum firm performance. The computational experiments in this research contains data and information on the units item costs, unit contribution margin, maximum resources capacity, individual products absorption rate and other constraints that are particular to each of the five products produced in the company employed as case study. In data analysis, linear programming model was employed with the aid LINDO 11 software to analyse the data. The result has showed that only two out of the five products under consideration are profitable. It also revealed the rate to which the company needs to reduce cost incurred on the three other products before making them profitable for production

'Acute kidney injury predictive models : advanced yet far from application in resource-constrained settings.'

DATA AVAILABILITY : No data are associated with this article.Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients, particularly critically ill patients. It poses a public health challenge in resource-constrained settings due to high administrative costs. AKI is commonly misdiagnosed due to its painless onset and late disruption of serum creatinine, which is the gold standard biomarker for AKI diagnosis. There is increasing research into the use of early biomarkers and the development of predictive models for early AKI diagnosis using clinical, laboratory, and imaging data. This field note provides insight into the challenges of using available AKI prediction models in resource-constrained environments, as well as perspectives that practitioners in these settings may find useful.http://f1000research.comam2023Critical Car

Knowledge of tuberculosis management using directly observed treatment short course therapy among final year medical students in South Western Nigeria

Introduction: Equipping medical graduates with the competence to manage tuberculosis is not just  imperative but also urgent as the diseases have been consistently listed as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. However, there were no baseline studies done on knowledge of final year medical students on various aspects of TB diagnosis and management under directly observed treatment short course therapy (DOTS) which forms the basis of this study. Methods: A total of 241 final year medical students from three medical colleges in Nigeria were  interviewed. The questions assessed their knowledge about various modes of transmission, symptoms  and management of tuberculosis under DOTS. Results: More than half of the respondents (i.e. 69%) had poor knowledge on TB disease. Only 33.6%  mentioned sputum smear as the best tool of diagnosing TB according to guideline. Poor knowledge was  also exhibited when asked of various categories under DOTS treatment regimen, as 46.1% correctly  mentioned cat 1 and 2. Minority 18.7% and 6.7% had complete knowledge of 6 months duration for new  TB cases and 8 months for re-treatment cases respectively. Less than one tenth, i.e. 4.6% and 2.9%   could correctly defined what is called a new TB case and re-treatment cases according to standard  guideline. Conclusion: The study reveals gross inadequacies in TB knowledge and management practices among Nigerian final year medical students. There is urgent need for incorporation of National TB guideline into existing undergraduate medical education curriculum as well as students rotation through activities in DOTS clinic.Key words: Tuberculosis, Directly observed treatment short course therapy (DOTS)