The Impact of some Meteorological Variables on the Estimation of Global Solar Radiation in Kano, North Western, Nigeria

This study examines the impact of measured monthly average daily global solar radiation, sunshine duration, wind speed, maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, cloud cover and relative humidity parameters on the estimation of global solar radiation during the period of thirty one years (1980 – 2010) for Kano, Nigeria (Latitude 12.030N, Longitude 08.120E and altitude 472.5 m above sea level) using different selected proposed empirical models. The accuracy of the proposed models are tested using statistical indicator; Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Percentage Error (MPE), t – test, correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination (R2). The developed models are based on one variable correlation, two variable correlations, three variable correlations, four variable correlations, five variable correlations and six variable correlations, in each case one or two empirical models has been recommended based on their outstanding performance in line with the statistical test subjected to. The model (Eqn. 36) with the highest values of R and R2 and lowest values of MBE, RMSE, MPE and t – test as compared with other developed model is considered the best performing model. It was observed that the newly recommended developed models (Eqns. 13, 17, 21, 26, 27, 31, 35 and 36) can be used for estimating daily values of global solar radiation with higher accuracy and has good adaptability to highly changing climatic conditions for Kano and regions of similar climatic information. Keywords: global solar radiation, sunshine duration, wind speed, rainfall and coefficient of determination

A Comparative Study of some Meteorological Parameters for Predicting Global Solar Radiation in Kano, Nigeria Based on Three Variable Correlations

In this present study, twenty empirical regression equations based on three variable correlations were developed and used to estimate the monthly average daily global solar radiation on a horizontal surface using measured monthly average daily global solar radiation, sunshine duration, wind speed, maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, cloud cover and relative humidity parameters during the period of thirty one years (1980 – 2010) for Kano, Nigeria (Latitude 12.030N, Longitude 08.120E and altitude 472.5 m above sea level). The comparative performance of the developed models has been evaluated on the basis of statistical parameters using Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Percentage Error (MPE), t – test and Nash – Sutcliffe Equation (NSE). The values of the correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination (R2) were also obtained for each of the developed models. The MPE values for all the developed models lie within the acceptable range . The t – test produces perfect model performance at 95% and 99% confidence level for all the developed models. Three equations were recommended from this study, firstly, the model (Eqn. 20) with the highest value of R and R2, secondly, the model (Eqn. 24) with the least value of RMSE and the highest value of NSE and thirdly, the model (Eqn. 31) with the least values of MPE and t – test. These developed models can be used for estimating monthly average daily global solar radiation for Kano, North – Western, Nigeria and other locations with similar weather conditions where the solar radiation data is unavailable. Keywords: global solar radiation, Kano, variable correlation, Mean Bias Error (MBE) and coefficient of determination

Effects of vaccination on the prevalence of Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in small ruminants in Taraba State, Nigeria

An investigation was conducted in order to determine the distribution of Peste Des Petits Ru'minants (PPR) and vaccination efforts in Taraba State of Nigeria using data collected from the Veterinary Services Department of the State's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development between 1992 and 1998. The results showed that the disease is most prevalent during the cold months of the year (Hamattan) and beginning of the rainy season. Similarly, outbreaks increased with the relaxation of vaccination campaign programmes. It was observed that the number of outbreak was low when a vaccination using Tissue-Culture-Rinderpest Vaccine (TCRV) was intensified and it increases when the vaccination was relaxed. It was concluded from this study that intensive vaccination campaign of small ruminants against the PPR through provision of adequate facilities, TCRV vaccines, training offield workers and mass enlightenment campaign in the villages are paramount to control menace of the disease in Nigeria

Medico-social Problems of Patients with Vesico-vaginal Fistula in Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano

Background: Vesico-vaginal fistula is still a persisting scourge in the developing countries with devastating medical and social consequences. These consequences were studied among patients presenting with VVF at a large referral center in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Methods: A total of 120 patients with Vesico-vaginal fistula admitted at the VVF centre of the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano were investigated using structured questionnaires to determine their medical and social problems. Additional information on clinical features was obtained from patients' case notes. Results: Their ages ranged between 10 and 36 years with a median of 16 years. A majority of the patients 87 (72.5%) were between 10-20 years. Most of the patients 98(81.6%) had their first marriage between the ages of 10 - 15 years. Patients were found to suffer from vulval dermatitis, foot drop, amenorrhoea, recurrent urinary tract infections and dysmenorrhoea as main medical problems. Economically they cannot work because they are shunned by the society. They are considered to have brought shame and dishonour to themselves and their families, and where they manage to avoid not being divorced by their husbands they quite often lose any form of support from the husbands. Conclusion: Special counselling and enlightenment programme on VVF, the need to train more traditional birth attendants and the need to improve referral of women likely to have VVF to facilities that offer emergency obstetric services were recommended

Estimation and variation of saturation mixing ratio and mixing ratio over Potiskum, Nigeria

In this study, the monthly average mean temperature, relative humidity and surface pressure data obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for a period of thirty-eight (1979 – 2016) years was employed to estimate the saturation mixing ratio and mixing ratio for Potiskum located in the Sahelian climatic zone of Nigeria. The monthly variation of saturation mixing ratio and mixing ratio with the meteorological parameters during the period under focused was investigated. The results revealed that the maximum and minimum values of saturation mixing ratio were found in the months of May and December with 31.7067 g kg-1 and 17.5980 g kg-1, respectively. The maximum and minimum values of saturation mixing ratio were found in the months of September and February with 20.6797 g kg-1 and 4.1153 g kg-1, respectively. The results showed that high values of mixing ratio were observed during the rainy season and low values during the dry season. The monthly variation of saturation mixing ratio with mean temperature and the monthly variation of mixing ratio with relative humidity depicts direct relationship. The monthly variation of saturation mixing ratio with atmospheric pressure and relative humidity and the monthly variation of mixing ratio with mean temperature and atmospheric pressure varies differently

Causal attribution of mental illness in south-eastern Nigeria

Background: Understanding of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa has remained under-researched in spite of the high and increasing neuropsychiatric burden of disease in the region. Aims: This study investigated the causal beliefs that the Igbo people of south-eastern Nigeria hold about schizophrenia, with a view to establishing the extent to which the population makes psychosocial, biological and supernatural attributions. Method: Multi-stage sampling was used to select participants (N = 200) to which questionnaires were administered. Results: Mean comparison of the three causal models revealed a significant endorsement of supernatural causation. Logistic regressions revealed significant contributions of old age and female gender to supernatural attribution; old age, high education and Catholic religious denomination to psychosocial attributions; and high education to biological attributions. Conclusions: It is hoped that the findings would enlighten, augment literature and enhance mental health care service delivery

Quantum walks: a comprehensive review

Quantum walks, the quantum mechanical counterpart of classical random walks, is an advanced tool for building quantum algorithms that has been recently shown to constitute a universal model of quantum computation. Quantum walks is now a solid field of research of quantum computation full of exciting open problems for physicists, computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers. In this paper we review theoretical advances on the foundations of both discrete- and continuous-time quantum walks, together with the role that randomness plays in quantum walks, the connections between the mathematical models of coined discrete quantum walks and continuous quantum walks, the quantumness of quantum walks, a summary of papers published on discrete quantum walks and entanglement as well as a succinct review of experimental proposals and realizations of discrete-time quantum walks. Furthermore, we have reviewed several algorithms based on both discrete- and continuous-time quantum walks as well as a most important result: the computational universality of both continuous- and discrete- time quantum walks.Comment: Paper accepted for publication in Quantum Information Processing Journa

Striving to promote male involvement in maternal health care in rural and urban settings in Malawi - a qualitative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Understanding the strategies that health care providers employ in order to invite men to participate in maternal health care is very vital especially in today's dynamic cultural environment. Effective utilization of such strategies is dependent on uncovering the salient issues that facilitate male participation in maternal health care. This paper examines and describes the strategies that were used by different health care facilities to invite husbands to participate in maternal health care in rural and urban settings of southern Malawi.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data was collected through in-depth interviews from sixteen of the twenty health care providers from five different health facilities in rural and urban settings of Malawi. The health facilities comprised two health centres, one district hospital, one mission hospital, one private hospital and one central hospital. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from health care providers with the aim of understanding strategies they used to invite men to participate in maternal health care.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four main strategies were used to invite men to participate in maternal health care. The strategies were; health care provider initiative, partner notification, couple initiative and community mobilization. The health care provider initiative and partner notification were at health facility level, while the couple initiative was at family level and community mobilization was at village (community) level. The community mobilization had three sub-themes namely; male peer initiative, use of incentives and community sensitization. The sustainability of each strategy to significantly influence behaviour change for male participation in maternal health care is discussed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Strategies to invite men to participate in maternal health care were at health facility, family and community levels. The couple strategy was most appropriate but was mostly used by educated and city residents. The male peer strategy was effective and sustainable at community level. There is need for creation of awareness in men so that they sustain their participation in maternal health care activities of their female partners even in the absence of incentives, coercion or invitation.</p

Contrasting predictors of poor antiretroviral therapy outcomes in two South African HIV programmes: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Many national antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes encourage providers to identify and address baseline factors associated with poor treatment outcomes, including modifiable adherence-related behaviours, before initiating ART. However, evidence on such predictors is scarce, and providers judgement may often be inaccurate. To help address this evidence gap, this observational cohort study examined baseline factors potentially predictive of poor treatment outcomes in two ART programmes in South Africa, with a particular focus on determinants of adherence. METHODS: Treatment-naïve patients starting ART were enrolled from a community and a workplace ART programme. Potential baseline predictors associated with poor treatment outcomes (defined as viral load > 400 copies/ml or having discontinued treatment by six months) were assessed using logistic regression. Exposure variables were organised for regression analysis using a hierarchical framework. RESULTS: 38/227 (17%) of participants in the community had poor treatment outcomes compared to 47/117 (40%) in the workplace. In the community, predictors of worse outcomes included: drinking more than 20 units of alcohol per week, having no prior experience of chronic medications, and consulting a traditional healer in the past year (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 15.36, 95% CI 3.22-73.27; aOR 2.30, 95%CI 1.00-5.30; aOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.00-5.19 respectively). Being male and knowing someone on ART were associated with better outcomes (aOR 0.25, 95%CI 0.09-0.74; aOR 0.44, 95%CI 0.19-1.01 respectively). In the workplace, predictors of poor treatment outcomes included being uncertain about the health effects of ART and a traditional healer's ability to treat HIV (aOR 7.53, 95%CI 2.02-27.98; aOR 4.40, 95%CI 1.41-13.75 respectively). Longer pre-ART waiting time (2-12 weeks compared to <2 weeks) predicted better treatment outcomes (aOR 0.13, 95% CI 0.03-0.56). CONCLUSION: Baseline predictors of poor treatment outcomes were largely unique to each programme, likely reflecting different populations and pathways to HIV care. In the workplace, active promotion of HIV testing may have extended ART to individuals who, without provider initiation, would not have spontaneously sought care. As provider-initiated testing makes ART available to individuals less motivated to seek care, patients may need additional adherence support, especially addressing uncertainty about the health benefits of ART