871 research outputs found

    On the use of Locality for Improving SVM-Based Spam Filtering

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    Recent growths in the use of email for communication and the corresponding growths in the volume of email received have made automatic processing of emails desirable. In tandem is the prevailing problem of Advance Fee fraud E-mails that pervades inboxes globally. These genres of e-mails solicit for financial transactions and funds transfers from unsuspecting users. Most modern mail-reading software packages provide some forms of programmable automatic filtering, typically in the form of sets of rules that file or otherwise dispose mails based on keywords detected in the headers or message body. Unfortunately programming these filters is an arcane and sometimes inefficient process. An adaptive mail system which can learn its users’ mail sorting preferences would therefore be more desirable. Premised on the work of Blanzieri & Bryl (2007), we proposes a framework dedicated to the phenomenon of locality in email data analysis of advance fee fraud e-mails which engages Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier for building local decision rules into the classification process of the spam filter design for this genre of e-mails

    Manpower Planning and Development in the Nigerian Construction Industry

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    In view of the present competitiveness and the general brain drain across the nations, manpower planning and development are becoming increasingly important within the industry. This paper therefore discussed the current manpower situation in the Nigerian industry with a special emphasis on the construction industry in Nigeria. It began with a broad review of manpower planning and its development. It was revealed that modem manpower management relies upon formal programmes of development for all kinds and levels of employees through training, education and effective communication. It then concluded by highlighting the strategies for effective manpower development in construction industry and the general industry in Nigeria. They include the establishment of easily achievable goal, the development of a set of objectives to assist in the realization of the goal and the formulation · of implementation strategies for each of the objectives.This paper discusses the current manpower situation in the Nigerian industry with a special emphasis on the construction industry in Nigeria. It begins with a broad review of manpower planning and its development. It was revealed that modem manpower management relies upon formal programmes of development for all kinds and levels of employees through training, education and effective communication. It then concludes by highlighting the strategies for effective manpower development in construction industry and the general industry in Nigeria. They include the establishment of easily achievable goal, the development of a set of objectives to assist in the realisation of the goal and the formulation of implementation strategies for each of the objective

    Distribution of Radionuclide Concentration with Proximity to the Lagoon in Lagos State, Southwestern Nigeria

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    The radioactivity of Lagos State in the Southwestern Nigeria was determined using an HpGe based, low level passive gamma-counting system. The main radinouclides analyzed in the samples were the progenies of 238U and 232Th. The other two isotopes were the naturally occurring 40K and the anthropogenic 137Cs. The results of the study showed that the average specific activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K have consistent values with published data for many other countries in the world. The presence of the fission product 137Cs could be traced to the fallout of the nuclear tests in the Sahara desert and probably, some effects of the more recent nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl in 1986. Keyword: radionuclide, concentration, radioactivity, contamination, soi

    Source Area Weathering and Tectonic History Inferred from the Geochemistry of the Maastrichtian Sandstone from Patti Formation, Southern Bida Basin, North Central Nigeria

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    Sandstones sampled from Patti Formation, Southern Bida Basin, were studied geochemically using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-AES) and an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique to evaluate their weathering and tectonic setting as well as to deduce the paleo-climatic conditions that existed during their deposition. Geochemically, SiO2 range from 73.9% to 86.2%, Al2O3 (6.7%~17.1%), Fe2O3 (1.1%~1.9%), K2O (0.1%~0.7%) while MgO, CaO, Na2O, P2O5, MnO and TiO2 were 80%) for indices like chemical index of alteration, chemical index of weathering, plagioclase index of alteration, mineralogical index of alteration and relatively lower values for weathering index of parker, recently used alpha indices (αAl E) of sodium (326.17αΑl Na80) indicates a steady-state of weathering under a warm/humid climate as confirmed by the SiO2 vs. Al2O3+ K2O + Na2O plot. High average SiO2 (75.41wt%) with K2O/Na2O ratio >1 (15.63), low Fe2O3 (1.27wt %), Al2O3 (15.82wt%) and TiO2 (0.46) suggest passive margin tectonic setting. This is supported by enriched ΣREE (209.64 ppm), ΣLREE (195.78), LREE/HREE (27.78) and negative Eu/Eu* (0.68), plots of log (K2O/Na2O) vs. SiO2 and SiO2/Al2O3 vs. K2O/Na2O. Major elements discriminant-function multi-dimensional diagram, DF1 (arcrift-col) vs. DF2 (arc-rift-col), for high-silica sediments revealed a continental rift tectonic setting. Thus, the Patti Formation sandstone underwent a high degree of weathering under a humid climatic condition within a continental rift tectonic setting

    AN EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE INSURANCE FRAUD AND ABUSE DETECTION SYSTEM

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    Due to the complexity of the processes within healthcare insurance systems and the large number of participants involved, it is very difficult to supervise the systems for fraud. The healthcare service providers’ fraud and abuse has become a serious problem. The practices such as billing for services that were never rendered, performing unnecessary medical services and misrepresenting non-covered treatment as covered treatments etc. not only contribute to the problem of rising health care expenditure but also affect the health of the patients. Traditional methods of detecting health care fraud and abuse are time-consuming and inefficient. In this paper, the health care insurance fraud and abuse detection system (HECIFADES) was proposed. The HECIFADES consist of six modules namely: claim, augment claim, claim database, profile database, profile updater and updated profiles. The system was implemented using Visual Studio 2010 and SQL. After testing, it was observed that HECIFADES was indeed an effective system for detecting fraudulent activities and yet very secured way for generating medical claims. It also improves the quality and mitigates potential payment risks and program vulnerabilities.

    HEAVY METALS IN THE MYONEMATIC, HEPATIC AND RENAL TISSUES OF THE AFRICAN CAT FISH (Clarias gariepinus) FROM OGBA RIVER, BENIN CITY, NIGERIA.

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    The concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Cr and As) in the myonematic, hepatic and renal tissues of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) from Ogba river, Benin City, Nigeria, were determined using a Unicam 929 series atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The concentrations of the aforementioned metals were also determined in water. The mean concentration of Pb ranged from 0.19mg/kg (muscle) to 0.39mg/kg (liver) while the mean concentration of Cd ranged from 0.03mg/kg (muscle) to 0.09mg/kg (liver). The mean concentration of Zn ranged from 0.09mg/kg( muscle) to 0.33mg/kg (liver) while the mean concentration of Cu ranged from 0.23mg/kg (muscle) to 0.76mg/kg(liver). The mean concentration of Cr ranged from 0.19mg/kg (muscle) to 0.41mg/kg (liver) while the mean concentration of As ranged from 0.36mg/kg (kidney) to 0.54mg/kg (muscle). The mean concentrations of the heavy metals in water were Pb(0.09mg/l), Cd(0.04mg/l), Zn(0.01mg/l), Cu(0.53mg/l), Cr(0.38mg/l) and As(0.59mg/l). With the exception of Cu, the mean concentrations of the heavy metals in water were generally above the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum allowable limit for the respective metals in drinking water implying that water from the river is unfit for human consumption owing to heavy metal contamination. The mean concentrations of Cr and As exceeded the WHO maximum allowable limits for fish food. The direct implication of this finding is that people who consume fish from the river are liable to potential health hazards resulting from Cr and As contamination.Â

    Conservation and Biodiversity Erosion in Ondo State, Nigeria: (2). Assessing Botanicals Used in the Storage of Farm Produce in Akure region

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    Semi-structured questionnaire matrix was used to identify plant species used for storage purposes in five communities situated within 5kilometre radius from Akure, the Ondo State capital, south-western Nigeria. A total of 32 botanical species were found to be commonly used in the preservation of farm produce in the study area. The leaves constituted the major part of the botanical that were widely utilised while the major farm produce common in the study area were kola nuts and bitter kola The descriptions of the indigenous knowledge of the various methods of application of the botanicals were identified and documented. Only nine of the botanicals were cultivated abundantly in the study area. The household farm, forest and common area constituted the major primary sources of the storage botanicals. Strategies that could ensure the continuous supply of the storage botanicals were proposed

    Knowledge, perception and preventive practices of COVID-19 among Primary Health Care workers in Ogun State, Nigeria

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    Objective: This study was carried out to determine the COVID-19 knowledge, perception, and preventive practices among primary health care workers in Ogun state.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 339 primary health care workers in Ogun state using self-administered questionnaires. Knowledge of COVID-19 was graded as good with a minimum score of 75% while perception was graded as good with a score greater than the mean scores. Preventive practices were categorized as good with minimum scores of 75%. Associations between knowledge,  practice, and categorical  variables were assessed using the chi-square test with the level of significance set at p < 0.05Results: The mean age of respondents was 42.30 ± 8.73 years. The major source of information on COVID-19 was health training (99.7%). A total of 50.7% had good knowledge of COVID-19 while 42.8% had a good perception of COVID-19. The majority (92.9%) had good COVID-19 preventive practices. Length of years in service was significantly associated (p=0.024) with knowledge of COVID-19.Conclusion: About half of the health care workers had good knowledge of COVID-19 while the perception of COVID-19 was poor. However, preventive practices carried out among the healthcare workers were good. Efforts should be made to further improve the knowledge and perception of primary health care workers as they play a vital role in the delivery of health care services in the state

    Modelling and Prediction of Gully Initiation in the University of Benin Using the Gultem Dynamic Model

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    For a very long period of time there was environmental equilibrium between rainfall and soil erosion in the University of Benin until man's intervention caused a disruption in the equilibrium by the improper termination of the external drainage structures in the University of Benin, Benin City Nigeria. This led to the initiation of gully erosion which has caused the University a lot of environmental damages and if left unchecked, the effect will escalate and become very devastating and disastrous. The study was to evaluate and analyze the gully erosion problem that is developing in the western end of the University of Benin with a view to providing useful information for future planning, land conservation and control. Topographical Survey of the gully site were carried out using Differential Global Positioning System (GPS) Survey for controls and Total Station  instrument for mapping of gully bed, gully walls and bank. This was to acquire morphological data of the gully site and generate geospatial data needed for monitoring the progressive growth of the gully. Using the generated 3D co-ordinates, spot heights, contour and Triangular Irregular Network models were generated in ARC-GIS environment. Soil samples were collected from the gully site for laboratory analysis and tests carried out included Specific gravity test, Particle size analysis, Compaction test and Shear Strength test in order to ascertain the overall contribution of the soils to the erosion problem. The data obtained from the surveys and investigations were inputed into the GULTEM Dynamic Erosion Model, for the evaluation of the rate of gully channel initiation. From the results the area affected by the gully erosion in this site is 11,100 m2.  The geotechnical investigation carried out, revealed that the clay content of the soil in the area is only about 18%. This makes the soil highly susceptible to erosion as soils with less than 30% clay content are easily erodible. It also showed that the soil is finely graded, fairly cohesive and does not compact well. Information from the geospatial data of the gully site, revealed that the University of Benin Gully became steeper between the years 2005 to 2012 and thereafter the slope began to flatten out. The result of the model showed that the computed rate of gully channel initiation increases initially and then began to decrease steadily with the longitudinal distance of the gully for the period under study and also correlates well with the physical observation of the gully at various time interval monitored..  These models were validated using the data on gully morphology and dynamics from University of Benin Gully Erosion site. Keywords: environmental equilibrium, Gully erosion, Network models, GULTEM Dynamic Model

    Institutional Communication and Administrative Effectiveness of Universities in Kwara State, Nigeria

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    The need for effective institutional communication in any social systems cannot be over-emphasized. Communication is crucial to the survival and effectiveness of any organization. It is on the basis of this background that this study examined institutional communication and administrative effectiveness of universities in Kwara State. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population of the study was 409 participants drawn from Principal Officers, Deans, Head of Departments, Directors of Units and Directorate of Information and Communication Units in all the universities. Thereafter, purposive sampling technique was used to select 272 participants for this study. Two instruments entitled “Institutional Communication Questionnaire” (ICQ) and “Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire” (AEQ) were developed for data collection from the respondents. Validity and reliability of the instrument were ensured and a co-efficient value of Alpha 0.68 and 0.72 was obtained for ICQ and AEQ respectively. The finding of the study showed statistically that there was relationship between institutional communication and administrative effectiveness with calculated (r-value 0.647 < pvalue 0.000). The study recommends that university administrators should ensure that other institutional communication processes should be adequately and effectively employed to complement marketing communication; university administrators should improve on the use of institutional communication as a tool of sound decision-making and management communication channels should be encouraged and improved in the universities as a means of passing or transferring information
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