Existence of positive solutions to multi-point third order problems with sign changing nonlinearities

In this paper, the authors examine the existence of positive solutions to a third-order boundary value problem having a sign changing nonlinearity. The proof makes use of fixed point index theory. An example is included to illustrate the applicability of the results

Memahami Tentang Beberapa Konsep Politik (suatu Telaah dari Sistem Politik)

Politik pada dasarnya merupakan suatu fenomena yang sangat berkaitan dengan manusia, yang pada kodratnya selalu hidup bermasyarakat. Manusia adalah makhluk sosial, makhluk yang dinamis dan berkembang, serta selalu menyesuaikan keadaan sekitarnya. Sebagai anggota masyarakat, seseorang atau kelompok tentu terikat oleh nilai-nilai dan aturan-aturan umum yang diakui dan dianut oleh masyarakat itu. Oleh karena itu, politik akan selalu menggejala, mewujudkan dirinya dalam rangka proses perkembangan manusia. Dengan keterkaitan hal di atas, maka manusia inti utama realitas politik, apapun alasannya pengamatan atau analisa politik tidak dapat begitu saja meninggalkan manusia. Ini menunjukkan bahwa hakekat politik adalah perilaku manusia, baik berupa aktivitas atau pun sikap yang bertujuan mempengaruhi atau mempertahankan tatanan sebuah masyarakat dengan menggunakan kekuasaan. Penyelenggaraan kekuasaan secara konstitusional adalah mencakup pembagian kekuasaan politik yang mencakup masalah: sumber kekuasaan politik, proses legitimasi, pemegang kekuasaan tertinggi, penyelenggaraan kekuasaan, fungsi-fungsi kekuasaan/tugas ringan dan tujuan politik yang mudah dicapai

Evaluation of the antidiarrhoeal effect of Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn F (Sapotaceae) stem bark extract

The antidiarrhoeal property of the methanolic stem bark extract of Vitellaria paradoxa was studied in mice. The assessment parameters included, castor oil induced diarrhoea, intestinal transit time, enteropooling. The antidiarrhoeal evaluation of the extract showed that it significantly reduced castor oil induced diarrhoea in mice dose dependently (100-400 mg/kg). The methanolic extract of Vitellaria paradoxa significantly (p<0.05) increased intestinal transit time of charcoal in mice dose dependently. The extract was also observed to reduce the castor oil induced enteropooling in mice. Vitellaria paradoxa methanol stem bark extract may possess antidiarrhoeal property. Key words: Antidiarrhoeal, Castor-oil, Enteropooling, Transit time, Vitellaria paradoxa

Case report of challenges in the management of a rare ductal dependent complex congenital heart disease in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Objective: Complex congenital heart defects are rare and may be difficult to define. They often require early surgery for palliation or correction. A lack of facilities and manpower to provide surgery in developing countries often results in mortality.Case report: A 6 month old male infant referred to our unit on account of failure to thrive, cyanosis since birth, easy fatigability and breathlessness. On examination he was small for age with tachycardia and a grade III pansystolic murmur at the left lower sternal edge. Chest radiograph revealed an “egg on side” cardiac appearance with cardiomegaly. Echocardiography confirmed the presence of d-transposition of the great arteries with a patent foramen ovale, large ventricular septal defect and atresia of the proximal main pulmonary artery. The child died while being prepared for referral to a centre for palliative surgery. Conclusion: Transposition of the great arteries with pulmonary atresia is an uncommon congenital heart disease. Early intervention with palliative surgery is necessary to prevent mortality.Keywords: Congenital heart disease; pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect; great vessel anomaly; echocardiograph

Trajectory Optimization of Quadrotor-UAV Drone Using Genetic Algorithm

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Technology recently attracts attention of many researchers; this is due toits numerous potentialities in civil application. One of the key areas of interest by researches is how to achievea total talent of “Sense and Avoid” in the UAV which will enhance safe and efficient trajectory of the vehicle.This is why this paper is going to use an optimization technique to optimize trajectory path of the UAV flight.The chosen optimization algorithm is Genetic algorithm (GA) which is going to be use to optimize the trajectoryof UAV by determine the shortest path of flight as well as obstacle-free path in order to save energy and timeduring flight. MATLAB and Simulink are used to simulate as well as evaluate the algorithm. In the result fromthe experiment, it appeared that an optimized trajectory path is tremendously better than path from the firstrandomly generated population in term of distance covered as well as time taken before triumph the target pointfrom the initial point

THE DYNAMICS OF SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRATION: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM PUBLIC HEALTH SUPPLY CHAINS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

The Kaduna State supply chain transformation initiative aims to integrate all state-fragmented supply chains to improve medicine availability performance. Supply chain integration enables organisations to collaboratively work with medicine suppliers and customers to achieve cost savings and improve service delivery, lead times, and performance. This study empirically assesses public healthcare supply chains and builds a dynamic theory of integrated healthcare supply chains based on systems dynamics. Underpinned by systems engineering theory and the system dynamics integrative paradigm, this study used interplay paradigm crossing in a mixed-method multiple case study to measure the availability of medicines in five public healthcare supply chains and developed a dynamic hypothesis from the mental models of system actors to increase the Medicine Fill Rate (MFR). Constraints in each supply chain were analysed to understand the perception of the structure, feedbacks, and dynamic behaviours that drive medicine availability. A network conceptual model was used to design a three-tiered stock-and-flow model for an integrated supply chain. Policies for financial management, government funding, order management, and inventory management were developed and tested to achieve a 90% MFR. The findings of this study show that the five supply chains can benefit from integration by forming strategic alliances with suppliers for pooled procurement. Sharing resources, risks, and benefits through the adoption of digital platforms to improve communication, visibility, and trust serves as a fulcrum for network integration. The use of supply chain finance and a performance-driven approach by the integrated network assists in breaking the capability and bailout trap of resource dependency on government funding. This study enriches the development of a dynamic theory of supply chain integration that will benefit managers, essential medicine stakeholders, donors, and policymakers by developing network-revolving fund model policies to reduce medicine stockouts and increase essential MFR for the treatment of diseases

Rapid flipping of parametric phase states

Since the invention of the solid-state transistor, the overwhelming majority of computers followed the von Neumann architecture that strictly separates logic operations and memory. Today, there is a revived interest in alternative computation models accompanied by the necessity to develop corresponding hardware architectures. The Ising machine, for example, is a variant of the celebrated Hopfield network based on the Ising model. It can be realized with artifcial spins such as the `parametron' that arises in driven nonlinear resonators. The parametron encodes binary information in the phase state of its oscillation. It enables, in principle, logic operations without energy transfer and the corresponding speed limitations. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate flipping of parametron phase states on a timescale of an oscillation period, much faster than the ringdown time \tau that is often (erroneously) deemed a fundamental limit for resonator operations. Our work establishes a new paradigm for resonator-based logic architectures.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

AROMA: An adapt-or-reroute strategy for multimedia applications over SDN-based wireless environments

To support new and advanced multimedia-rich applications and services while providing satisfactory user experience, the underlying network infrastructure needs to evolve and adapt. One of the key enabling technologies of the next generation (5G) networks is the integration of Software Defined Networking (SDN) within a heterogeneous wireless environment to enable interoperability and QoS provisioning. Leveraging on the features of the SDN paradigm, it is possible to introduce new solutions to handle the increasing mobile video transmission challenges with strict QoS requirements, such as: low delay, jitter, packet loss, and high bandwidth demands. However, degradation and instability perceived from video traffic makes it difficult to satisfy various end-users. In this context, this paper proposes AROMA, an Adapt-or-reROute strategy for Multimedia Applications over SDN-based wireless environments. AROMA enables QoS provisioning over multimedia-oriented SDN-based WLAN environments. The proposed solution is evaluated using a real experimental test-bed setup

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS NEEDED BY SELF-EMPLOYED MOTOR VEHICLE MECHANICS IN THE NORTH CENTRAL STATES OF NIGERIA

This study was designed to discover the entrepreneurial administrative skills needed by self-employed motor vehicle mechanics in the North-Central States of Nigeria. The researchers formulated a research question and a null hypothesis guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was employed for the study. The study was carried out in the North-Central States of Nigeria. The targeted population for the study was 22,523 respondents comprising of 21,340 registered self-employed motor vehicle mechanics, 1,016 managers of micro firms in motor vehicle mechanics and 167 entrepreneurship lecturers. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed for the study. The purposive sampling procedure was employed to select three states including Federal Capital Territory, Abuja out of seven states that constitute the North-Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The sample for the study was 2,019 respondents comprising of 1,435 registered self-employed motor vehicle mechanics, drawn through the use of Taro Yamane formula for finite population, 475 managers of micro firms in motor vehicle mechanics and 109 entrepreneurship lecturers. A structured questionnaire titled: Self-Employed Motor Vehicle Mechanics Entrepreneurial Administrative Skills Needed Questionnaire (SEMVMEASNQ) developed by the researchers was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by five Lecturers in the Department of Industrial and Technology Education, the Federal University of Technology, Minna and the reliability coefficient of instrument was 0.84 through Cronbach Alpha Statistics. Mean and standard deviation were the statistical tools used to analyze the data for answering the research question; while One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistics was employed to test the null hypothesis for the study at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed among others that all the 31 items entrepreneurial administrative skills are highly needed by motor vehicle mechanics for self-employment in the North Central States of Nigeria. Based on the findings it was recommended among others that: the National Council on Automotive (NCA) should in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity incorporate the identified entrepreneurial skills into their training and re-training programs so that motor vehicle mechanics can be made to acquire the needed entrepreneurship management skills that will assist them to sustain and secure their employment

Ozone (O3) Process Technology (OPT): An Exploratory Brief of Minimal Ozone Discharge applied to Shrimp Product

AbstractGlobally, the demand for energy resources is currently on the rise, which directly leads to increase in the pursuit to identify as well as utilize both enhanced and environmental-friendly technologies underscoring direct challenges associated with energy conservation. Principally, ozone treatment stands among emerging innovative technologies of great potential for the food industry. After its declaration as 'Generally Recognized As Safe' (GRAS) it is but only a few decades ago that the promises of ozone treatment became more evident, in fact, more noticeable in recent times particularly for domestic and home use. These promises of ozone treatment are largely attributable to chemical and physical properties of the ozone (O3) molecule. Contrariwise, the unstable nature of the O3 molecule has been the underwriting factor that frequently impedes the commercialization of this technology. It is in line with these arguments that this paper is underpinned, by presenting ozone process technology (OPT) through an exploratory brief with respect to ozone discharge that has been minimally applied to shrimp product. This exploratory brief is tersely performed using an analytical appraisal, which attempts to reveal some energy aspects that might have ample relevance. In addition, the justification/rationale 'why minimal ozone treatment' is succinctly debated. Anyways, considering that a number of alternative domestic type sanitizers that safely generate ozone are currently penetrating the market worldwide, the concentrations of ozone discharge of almost if not all (of these domestic types) apparently seem not well defined – hence, not consistent. This paucity of definition of concentrations of ozone discharge therefore necessitates supplemental investigations to provide informative and robust data particularly identifying with the domestic-type of ozone-generating facilities. Largely, the motivation for this is that the procurement of domestic-types by many homes around the world is, not only currently on the rise, but more particularly that these facilities are largely believed to effectively sanitize fresh foods. Equally, considering the great energy potential associated with the ozonation process itself, we opine that the ozone process as a technology either in part or whole may well lend itself as a novel, renewable and valuable energy material for future use, a feasible exploration for renewable energy industries to undertake – very appropriate and credible motivation for future investigations