Trend Analysis of Teenage Pregnancy in Nigeria (1961-2013): How Effective is the Contraceptive Use Campaign

Teenage pregnancy (TP) is a recurrent global and public health problem. It poses both social and health challenges. Considering the massive campaign on the use of modern contraceptives to prevent TP in recent decades, we assessed trends in TP in Nigeria between 1961 and 2013. Pregnancy and contraception history of 70,811 women who were at least 20 years old when the Nigerian DHS was conducted in 1990, 2003, 2008, and 2013 respectively were used for the study, and descriptive statistics, time analysis techniques and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze the data at 5% significance level. The overall prevalence of TP between 1961 and 2013 was 49.5% which fluctuated insignificantly during the studied period. The TP prevalence among women who entered adulthood in 1961 was 39.2%; it peaked in 1978 at 58.9% before its unsteady decline to 39.6% in 2012, and then rose sharply to 55.6% in 2013. We predicted TP prevalence as 49.0%, 49.9% and 51.0% in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. The odds of TP were over 4 times higher in the North East and 5 times higher in the North West than in the South West. Teenagers with no education had higher odds of TP and it was higher among teenagers from the poorest households (OR=5.64, 95% CI: 5.36-5.94). Rather than reducing with the worldwide acknowledged increase in contraceptive campaigns, TP increased over the years studied. As far as TP is concerned in Nigeria, the impact of the campaign on MC use is far from being effective. To achieve the objective of fewer TPs, fewer resources should be spent on access to contraception and instead diverted to areas more likely to achieve results such as improvements in educational achievement amongst girls

Nicotine dependence, socioeconomic status, lifestyle behaviours and lifetime quit attempts among adult smokers in South Africa

Background. Smoking cessation is a complex process influenced by factors such as smokers’ nicotine dependence levels, socioeconomic status (SES) and other lifestyle behaviours. Little is known about these relationships in South Africa (SA).Objectives. To explore the relationship between nicotine dependence, SES, lifestyle behaviours and lifetime quit attempts among adult smokers in SA.Methods. This study used data from 2 651 participants aged ≥16 years in the 2011 South African Social Attitudes Survey. Information on SES (measured by asset ownership), binge drinking, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, intention to quit smoking and lifetime quit attempts was extracted. Nicotine dependence was measured using the Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI). All data were weighted to account for the complex survey design and to yield nationally representative estimates. Data analysis included binary logistic regression with high nicotine dependence (HND) defined as HSI ≥4 and lifetime quit attempts as separate outcomes.Results. The prevalence of smoking was 20.1% (31.6% for males and 9.5% for females), and was highest in the mixed-ancestry group (37.0%). Overall, 14.5% of smokers had HND, with a higher proportion in the high-SES group. The odds of HND increased with every 10  years of smoking history (odds ratio (OR) 2.05; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40 - 3.00) but decreased among participants who reported frequent physical activity (OR 0.4; 95% CI 0.18 - 0.86) and those who planned to quit (OR 0.37; 95% CI 0.19 - 0.75). Quit attempts were more likely among participants who reported frequent fruit and vegetable intake (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.07 - 2.98) and less likely among those reporting binge drinking (OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.16 - 0.59) or assessed as having HND (OR 0.32; 95% CI 0.17 - 0.58).Conclusions. Most adult smokers in SA have low nicotine dependence. However, the association of HND with high SES in this study suggests that although cessation treatment based on an integrated lifestyle behavioural intervention package may suffice for most smokers, a more intense cessation treatment package is needed for smokers of higher SES

Evaluation of Improved Bioremediation Strategy for the Treatment of Abattoir Wastewater using Bacillus licheniformis ZUL012

The abattoir generates a large volume and variety of biowastes, posing a high risk of environmental contamination, disease outbreaks, and contaminated food. The purpose of this research was to characterize and remediate abattoir wastewater (Aww). The physicochemical characterization of the Aww revealed high level of pollution which served as a baseline for monitoring treatment efficacy. The B. licheniformis ZUL012 isolated from textile wastewater was primed with H2O2 and used to remediate Aww waste water in the current study. This study revealed Aww high pollution level which necessitated a need for the Treatment with this bacterium resulted in a significant decrease in some of the waste water parameters tested. The induced cell reduced the parameters to 155 41 mg/L, 75 mg/L, 454 mg/L, 1750 mg/L, and 1000 mg/L, whereas the naive cell reduced them to 375 mg/L, 776 mg/L, and 3122 mg/L, respectively. This equates to an average reduction of 95 percent (COD), 95 percent (BOD5), 77 percent (TOC), and 71% (TDS) compared to raw wastewater. These novel strategies show that H2O2-induced B. licheniformis ZUL012 could be a viable hybrid-bioremediation option for reducing or transforming the pollutants present in Aww, thereby contributing to compliance with wastewater discharge regulations into bodies of water

Influence of Prenatal Class to the Practice of P4K (Birth Planning and Prevention of Birth Complication)

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the influence of prenatal class to the practice of P4K (Birth Planning And Prevention Of Birth Complication).Materials and Methods: This study applied analytical survey with cross sectional approach. The number of samples taken was as many as 30 mothers, using simple random sampling. Analysis of data was carried out using ordinal wilcoxon sign rank test. Datas were obtained from interviews and questionnaire.Result: The influence of prenatal class to practice of P4K (Birth Planning and Prevention of Birth Complication) (p = 0,0000). Conclusion: Prental class can influence to practic of P4K

CHALLENGES FACING UNDERGRADUATES ON THE USE OF LIBRARY SERVICES: A CASE STUDY ON FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, ABEOKUTA

This study investigated the challenges facing undergraduates on the use of library services in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The objectives were to assess the attitude and level of satisfaction of undergraduates as well as the challenges they face on the use of library services. This study adopted the descriptive survey design. The sample of 180 respondents, who were undergradu- ates, was randomly selected from all Colleges of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The instrument used to elicit responses from the respondents was a questionnaire designed by the authors while descriptive statistic was employed to analyse the data. Findings of this study revealed that ma- jority of the respondents (55.00%) agreed that there is enough space in the library, 75.00% agreed that there is adequate number of staff in the library, 76.67% agreed that there are spacious shelves to house books, and 85.00% agreed that the library is conducive for learning. On the other hand, majority of the respondents (64.45%) disagreed that the library has current textbooks and 83.89% disagreed that the internet services in the library are accessible. Students«¤?? attitude towards the use of library varied, majority of the respondents (78.33%) agreed that the library is meant for reading or studying and not only during examination period. The major challenges identified by undergraduates in the use of the library services are inadequate up-to-date books in the library and tight academic schedules of students while the minor challenges include poor infrastructural facilities and insufficient space to ac- commodate users. It was recommended that libraries should ensure that adequate orientation and training are given to students on the use of the library services

Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Reinforcement Bars Manufactured in Nigeria

Reinforcement bars, or REBAR for short, are mainly produced from metal scrap or iron ore, or a combination of both. Their manufacturing process has a significant effect on their properties, so also are the percentage concentration of various constituent elements and the cooling rate in the production process. This research work aims to study the physical and chemical properties of rebars manufactured in Nigeria vis-à-vis their suitability for construction purposes. The effect of chemical composition in rebar on steel stresses was studied. Rebar samples were collected at various points in Abuja and its environs and tested for their mechanical and chemical properties. The results show some tolerable and intolerable deviations from provisions of BS 4449 B500B 2005 indicating that some of the rebars are satisfactory for use in reinforced concrete works while others are not. Tests conducted on the rebars include Tensile Strength, Relative Rib Area, Percentage Elongation, Bend and Rebend, and Spectrometer tests, among other physical examinations. In some rebars, results showed moderate to vast deviation from minimum acceptable standard values as specified in BS 4449 B500B 2005 for yield stress, elongation, bar diameter, mass per kilogram, carbon equivalent, while there is satisfactoriness for other tested samples

Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Reinforcement Bars Manufactured in Nigeria

Reinforcement bars, or REBAR for short, are mainly produced from metal scrap or iron ore, or a combination of both. Their manufacturing process has a significant effect on their properties, so also are the percentage concentration of various constituent elements and the cooling rate in the production process. This research work aims to study the physical and chemical properties of rebars manufactured in Nigeria vis-à-vis their suitability for construction purposes. The effect of chemical composition in rebar on steel stresses was studied. Rebar samples were collected at various points in Abuja and its environs and tested for their mechanical and chemical properties. The results show some tolerable and intolerable deviations from provisions of BS 4449 B500B 2005 indicating that some of the rebars are satisfactory for use in reinforced concrete works while others are not. Tests conducted on the rebars include Tensile Strength, Relative Rib Area, Percentage Elongation, Bend and Rebend, and Spectrometer tests, among other physical examinations. In some rebars, results showed moderate to vast deviation from minimum acceptable standard values as specified in BS 4449 B500B 2005 for yield stress, elongation, bar diameter, mass per kilogram, carbon equivalent, while there is satisfactoriness for other tested samples

Plantain Value Chain Mapping in Southwestern Nigeria

Understanding relationships, opportunities and bottlenecks in a commodity value chain is crucial to the determination of the contribution of a commodity to economic development. The objective of the study was to Map Plantain Value Chain in order to identify the key players, their roles, value added along the chain as well as constraints. Personal Interview and Focus group discussions were used to collect primary data from the actors along the chain. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Value added analysis. The study identified conventional and peculiar actors such as Input suppliers, Producers, Farm-Gate Assemblers, Market-Arena Assemblers, Insitu Wholesalers, Transit Wholesalers, Processors, Retailers and Consumers. The study revealed tremendous dominance of the Midstream sector in the commodity value chain and that Value addition, volume of trade and geographical coverage indices were highest at the midstream sector. The result revealed also that Plantains were traded mostly in unprocessed form and there was low level of export of the commodity. Producers sold most of their product (55%) at the farm gate.  Horizontal flow of the commodity was prominent among the actors. Value added at processing level was estimated at ?111/kg of processed product. The cross cutting constraints among the actors were inadequate credit accessibility, high transportation cost, inadequate market access and inadequate storage facilities amongst others. The study recommends intervention in the area of linking actors in the value chain to prospective markets for them to benefit from the various activities.  Keywords:Plantain, Value Chain Map, Value Chain Actors, Value Added, Southwestern Nigeria

Geochemical investigations of a Portion Obu Hill Marble Deposit Okpella, Edo-State, Nigeria

The Obhu marble deposit is located at latitude 7o 21´ 31.2´´ to 7o 21´ 34.9´´ and longitude 6o 25´ 11.6´´ to 6o 25´ 18.0´´. The geochemical investigations of a portion of the Obhu hill marble deposit was aimed at investigating the reserve estimate in tonnage, rock mass/overburden volume and the geochemical composition of the deposit. This study was conducted by using vertical electrical sounding (VES) geophysical method to obtain the geo-electric parameters of the deposit, and to determine the reserve estimate of the Marble deposit of study area. The result shows that the reserve tonnage is 4.6 x 106 Tons and rock mass reserve/overburden volume ratio is 9:1.The chemical analysis were compared with the RMRDC of Nigeria for each element suitable for production of cement, fertilizer, iron, steel and other industrial uses. The MgO values of the samples 1 and 2 does not falls within the acceptable value of 6 % of RMRDC, with the exception of sample 3 which falls within the acceptable limit. CaO, Al2O3 and P2O5 values of the samples falls within the acceptable limits of RMRDC and so suggest that the marble can be put to industrial use, while the Fe2O3 content of sample 2 and 3 makes them probably not best suited for industrial use, except for sample 1 having a lower value of 1.85 %. The silica SiO2 content values for the three samples exceeded the recommended standard of RMRDC of 5 %. This result reveals that the marble deposit is suitable for most industrial use