Sexual Violence Against Female Students in Polytechnics in South-West Nigeria

Sexual violence against women is a social vice that affects females in diverse forms across clime, race and religion. This manifests through sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, incest, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyber stalking. Out of all these, sexual assault, rape and sexual harassment of female students by male lecturers are common in the tertiary institutions. There is no doubt that sexual violence is indeed a global problem, but it becomes worrisome when lecturers now demand sex  from their female students   in return for good grades in their courses. This educational epidemic erodes academic integrity and dignity, thus making certification an exercise in falsehood. This study investigated the causes of sexual violence against female students by male lecturers in polytechnics, the consequences of the act on the victims as well as the polytechnic system; and how the horrid act can be controlled in South–West Nigeria. The six states that make up this axis are: Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos and Ekiti. The sampled population comprised 1800 female students and 900 adults-both male and female, selected from 17 Federal, State and Private Polytechnics in the six states. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the female students, the adults as well as the polytechnics that participated in the study. The responses were collated and analysed using simple frequencies and percentages because the study was a descriptive survey research. The study revealed that sexual violence against female students was a reality in polytechnics in South-West Nigeria. The male lecturers who indulged in the act did so mainly, to exercise their power and authority over the female students. To control the callous act, some punitive and preventive measures were recommended. These will enable all members of the various academic communities to perceive sexual violence as an inhuman act which every sane person should avoid. Keywords: Violence, Sexual violence, Female students, Consequences and Control

A new parameter-uniform discretization of semilinear singularly perturbed problems

In this paper, we present a numerical approach to solving singularly perturbed semilinear convection-diffusion problems. The nonlinear part of the problem is linearized via the quasilinearization technique. We then design and implement a fitted operator finite difference method to solve the sequence of linear singularly perturbed problems that emerges from the quasilinearization process. We carry out a rigorous analysis to attest to the convergence of the proposed procedure and notice that the method is first-order uniformly convergent. Some numerical evaluations are implemented on model examples to confirm the proposed theoretical results and to show the efficiency of the method

A four-step ortho-rectification procedure for geo-referencing video streams from a low-cost UAV

In this paper, we present a four-step ortho-rectification procedure for real-time geo-referencing of video data from a low-cost UAV equipped with a multi-sensor system. The basic procedures for the real-time ortho-rectification are: (1) decompilation of the video stream into individual frames; (2) establishing the interior camera orientation parameters; (3) determining the relative orientation parameters for each video frame with respect to each other; (4) finding the absolute orientation parameters, using a self-calibration bundle and adjustment with the aid of a mathematical model. Each ortho-rectified video frame is then mosaicked together to produce a mosaic image of the test area, which is then merged with a well referenced existing digital map for the purpose of geo-referencing and aerial surveillance. A test field located in Abuja, Nigeria was used to evaluate our method. Video and telemetry data were collected for about fifteen minutes, and they were processed using the four-step ortho-rectification procedure. The results demonstrated that the geometric measurement of the control field from ortho-images is more accurate when compared with those from original perspective images when used to pin point the exact location of targets on the video imagery acquired by the UAV. The 2-D planimetric accuracy when compared with the 6 control points measured by a GPS receiver is between 3 to 5 metres

Gene expression modulation of apoptotic and oestrogen receptor alpha genes by active fractions of selected Nigerian plants on cervical cancer cell line (hela)

The roles of natural product in drug discovery and development cannot be over emphasised. It plays a vital role in human therapy and gives a better understanding on the cellular pathways.This study investigated the modulatory effects of partially purified fractions of Piper guineense Schumach. & Thonn. (Piperaceae), Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides Lam. (Rutaceae), Amaranthus viridis L. (Amaranthaceae), Costus afer Ker-Gawl. (Zingiberaceae) and Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. (Apocynaceae) on oestrogen receptor-α (ESR-α), tumour protein p53 (TP-53), retinoblastoma (RB) and NAD(P) H quinine oxidoreductase (NQO1) genes in cervical cancer cell line (HeLa cells). n-Hexane, ethylacetate, chloroform, and water fractions of 80% ethanol extracts of study plants were screened with brine shrimp lethality and water-soluble tetrazolium-1 (WST-1) cytotoxicity assay. HeLa cells were treated with 1:10 dilutions of IC50 concentrations of test fractions for 24 hours, total RNA was extracted, RNA quality was checked, and normalized to a baseline concentration. Gene expression were monitored by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results showed that ESR-α was downregulated (p < 0.05) by P. guineense-hexane, C. roseuschloroform and A. viridis-ethylacetate fractions

A NSFD discretization of two-dimensional singularly perturbed semilinear convection-diffusion problems

Despite the availability of an abundant literature on singularly perturbed problems, interest toward non-linear problems has been limited. In particular, parameter-uniform methods for singularly perturbed semilinear problems are quasi-non-existent. In this article, we study a two-dimensional semilinear singularly perturbed convection-diffusion problems. Our approach requires linearization of the continuous semilinear problem using the quasilinearization technique. We then discretize the resulting linear problems in the framework of non-standard finite difference methods. A rigorous convergence analysis is conducted showing that the proposed method is first-order parameter-uniform convergent. Finally, two test examples are used to validate the theoretical findings

Correlation Between Eosinophilia and Nasal Features in Allergic Rhinosinusitis: A Pilot Study

A characteristic feature of nasal allergy is local accumulation of inflammatory cells, particularly mast cells and eosinophils, and their mediators, which have been implicated to be responsible for symptoms and signs of allergies. This prospective study tested the hypothesis that severity of nasal symptoms at presentation was related to the presence of nasal eosinophilia, using consecutive patients with allergic rhinitis attending the outpatient Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, between March and December 2008. Excluded were those who had commenced antihistamine and similar antiallergy drugs. Nasal eosinophilia, skin sensitivity, sinus radiograph, and clinical features were graded using standard classification. The study was composed of 49 subjects (28 males and 21 females). The subjects’ age ranged from 7 to 53 years (mean ± SD: 28 ± 4 years). Nasal eosinophilia and abnormal skin sensitivity response were seen in 41 (83.8%) and 37 (75.5%) subjects, respectively. Rhinorrhoea, sneezing, and nasal obstruction constituted 42 (85.7%), 31 (63.3%), and 21 (42.9%), respectively, while inferior turbinate enlargement and radiological involvement were seen in 29 (59.2%) and 36 (73.5%) patients. The Spearman correlation test revealed a significant association between nasal smear eosinophilia and rhinorrhoea (P = .008) and sneezing (P = .04), although there was no significant association with other variables. The authors conclude that the degree of nasal eosinophilia may be useful in predicting the severity of rhinorrhoea and sneezing among the clinical features of nasal allergy

Wear behaviour of cast aluminium silicon (Al-Si) alloy in dot 4 brake fluid

Abstract : The frictional sliding behaviour of cast Al-Si alloy was investigated with and without DOT 4 hydraulic brake fluid lubrication/environments. Cast Al-Si specimen was produced from wrought alloy and the specimen surface was metallurgically prepared. The as- cast product was characterized with aid of micro-hardness tester, the chemical composition was analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), while X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify phases present, microstructures and surface examinations were done on a high resolution metallurgical Optical Microscope. The properties of the polished and worn sample surfaces were examined by Scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with Energy dispersive X- ray (EDS) facilities. A 6mm diameter alumina ball under varying normal loads (3-10 N) was rubbed against the surface of the cast Al-Si coupon specimen. The dry and wet sliding wear behaviour was assessed based on the CoF-sliding time behaviour. From the results, the average CoF values of 0.9064 for dry and 0.2038 for wet contacts were obtained. Comparatively, 1.03E-06 and 4.21E-07 minimum wear intensities; and 467290 and 132170 wear resistances were obtained for dry and wet contacts respectively. Behaviour of cast Al-Si in DOT4 were compared with its performance in DOT3 regarding the hydraulic brake system application

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BACTERIA COLONIZATION AND ICU-ACQUIRED INFECTION IN A NIGERIAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL

Background: Health care associated infection (HCAI) or Hospital acquired infection is associated with significant morbidity, mortality and cost. The incidence is about 6% and disproportionately higher in critically ill patients who may have been immune-compromised with many invasive procedures already performed. Prevention of HCAI and appropriate management of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) requires knowledge on the pattern of microbial colonization and infections. The aim of this preliminary study was to provide current data on the pattern of ICU acquired infections in our hospital. Patients and Methods: It was a cross sectional study of patients admitted into the ICU who were expected to stay longer than 48hrs between July 2011 and September 2012. Urine, blood, and tracheal aspirate were collected on days 1, 3 and 5 for microbiological studies. All patients involved in the study had urethral catheter in-situ and received mechanical ventilation in the ICU. Results: Fifty-nine patients were recruited into the study. The mean age of the patients was 30.08 + 19.9yr; while the reasons for admissions were respiratory failure (59.3%), cardiovascular instability, trauma and neurological diseases. About 30% of the samples taken from the study sites on arrival in the ICU had positive culture yields. Organisms cultured included Klebsiella oxytoca, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The urinary tract had the highest number of isolated organisms- 9(60%), followed by equal number of isolated organisms-3(20%) in the blood and respiratory tract. Eleven (73.3%) of the organisms isolated were Gram-negative bacteria, and 4 (26.7%) were Gram-positive cocci. The commonest bacteria isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (4/26.7%) and Klebsiella oxytoca (4/ 26.7%). A total of 15 ICU- acquired infections were detected in 9 of 59 patients. Conclusion: The HCIA infection rate was 15%, and urinary tract infections (UTI) was the commonest hospital acquired infection in our ICU. Klebsiella oxytoca and Staphylococcus aureus were the commonest organisms