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Prevalence of Vaginal Pathogens Associated with Genital Tract Infections in Ogun State, Nigeria
Get PDFStaff PublicationAims: The occurrence of vaginal pathogens associated with genital tract infections [GTIs] was investigated in this study.
Study Design: Over a three-month period, 106 High Vaginal Swab [HVS] samples were obtained from women with genital tract infections [GTIs] within the ages of 15 – 50 years attending In- and Out- patients clinic at General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria and percentage frequencies of isolates were determined comparatively.
Place and Duration of Study: Collections of samples were made at General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State while microbiological analyses on samples were carried out at the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital [OOUTH], Sagamu, Ogun State, between August and November, 2011.
Methodology: Samples were screened for the presence of vaginal pathogens using conventional microbiological techniques. Potato dextrose agar [PDA] was employed to isolate and enumerate Candida species. Chocolate agar was used for the isolation of Neisseria gonorrheae, while Columbia agar base in 10% CO2-enriched atmosphere was employed for the isolation of Gardnerella vaginalis. Microscopic examinations of smears were carried out to determine the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis. Paired sample t-test was employed to analyze results statistically.
Results: Candida species recorded the highest prevalence of 58 [54.7%], followed by Trichomonas vaginalis 27 [25.5%], Gardneralla vaginalis 12 [11.3%], while Neisseria gonorrhea recorded the least prevalence of 09 [8.5%]. Among the Candida isolates obtained, Candida albicans had the highest prevalence of 39 [67.2%], followed by 11 [19%] Candida tropicalis, 6 [10.3%] Candida parapsilosis while the least occurred was Candida krusei with 2 [3.5%]. Results also showed that the incidence of Candida species was highest within the age group of between 21 and 30 years except Candida tropicalis which recorded highest incidence within the age range of 15 – 20 years. Statistical analyses established that there was no significant difference between the incidence of Candida sp and other vaginal pathogens.
Conclusion: Vaginal pathogens are directly associated with genital tract infections and this is on the high side among women in the developing world like Nigeria. This calls for commitment to routine evaluation and appropriate intervention in antenatal clinics
Model for simulating scorpion substrate vibration and detection system
Get PDFScorpion stings are vital health issues which requires prompt attention to minimize the pain inflicted on victims and avert death. A possible solution in averting the sting is the capability of detecting its presence earlier before it stings. Scorpion like other arthropods have a specific kind of movement pattern called substrate vibration, which generates a specific signal that is used in recognizing and locating mates and preys. This paper aims at developing an intelligent scorpion detection system using vibration frequency detection technique. A six step model for simulating scorpion substrate vibration and detection has been proposed. The surrounding vibrating signal is acquired and passed through a band pass filter. The resulting signal is model using autoregressive modeling technique. Resulting co-efficients are further analyzed for activity detection. The frequency response of scorpion activities for mating behaviou
Robust classification of motor imagery EEG signals using statistical time–domain features
Get PDFThe tradeoff between computational complexity and speed, in addition to
growing demands for real-time BMI (brain–machine interface) systems, expose
the necessity of applying methods with least possible complexity. Willison
amplitude (WAMP) and slope sign change (SSC) are two promising time–
domain features only if the right threshold value is defined for them. To
overcome the drawback of going through trial and error for the determination
of a suitable threshold value, modified WAMP and modified SSC are proposed
in this paper. Besides, a comprehensive assessment of statistical time–domain
features in which their effectiveness is evaluated with a support vector machine
(SVM) is presented. To ensure the accuracy of the results obtained by the
SVM, the performance of each feature is reassessed with supervised fuzzy
C-means. The general assessment shows that every subject had at least one
of his performances near or greater than 80%. The obtained results prove
that for BMI applications, in which a few errors can be tolerated, these
combinations of feature–classifier are suitable. Moreover, features that could
perform satisfactorily were selected for feature combination. Combinations of
the selected features are evaluated with the SVM, and they could significantly
improve the results, in some cases, up to full accuracy
Investigation of oxide thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition as dopant source for ultra-shallow doping of silicon
Get PDFAtomic layer deposition of solid dopant sources for silicon was carried out by using triethylantimony and ozone, and tris-(dimethylamido)borane and ozone as precursors for antimony or boron containing oxides, respectively. It was proved that homogenous antimony oxide deposition could be achieved on flat silicon wafers and in trench structures. Little growth was found below 100 °C deposition temperature and linear temperature dependence on the growth rate between 100 and 250 °C. The oxide films were not stable above 750 °C and therefore failed to act as dopant source for silicon so far. Boron containing films were only obtained at a deposition temperature of 50 °C. These films were highly instable after exposure to air but degradation could be delayed by thin films of antimony oxide or aluminium oxide that were in situ grown by ALD as well. Only little boron was found by ex-situ chemical analysis. However, rapid thermal annealing of such boron containing dopant source layers resulted in high concentrations of active boron close to the silicon surface. The dependence of the doping results on the thickness of the initial boron containing films could be shown
Isothermal, kinetics and thermodynamics studies of the biosorption of Pb (II) ion from aqueous solution using the scale of croaker fish (Genyonemus lineatus)
Get PDFBiosorbent prepared from the scale of croaker fish (Genyonemus lineatus) has been used for the removal of Pb(II) ion from aqueous solution in a batch system. The effects of some important parameters such as pH, initial metal concentration, temperature and biosorbent dosage on biosorption capacity were investigated. Equilibrium time for the biosorption process is 20 and 30 min at lower and higher concentrations, respectively. The process at 28 °C is in agreement with a pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The equilibrium data obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 14.58 mg g−1. The study showed that the sorption process depends on biomass dosage, temperature, pH and initial metal ion concentration. The calculated thermodynamics parameters (ΔGo, ΔHo and ΔSo) indicated that the biosorption of the metal ion onto fish scale is feasible, spontaneous and exothermic in nature
Book Piracy in Nigeria: Issues and Strategies
Get PDFBook piracy is an illegal and illegitimate reproduction of other people's intellectual property for economic reasons
without prior consent or authorization. This paper examines the intricate dimension of book piracy in the
Nigerian Publishing Industry. It notes the dangers the trend portends to qualitative education and scholarship
in general. The paper identifies the different forms of book piracy as: local reproduction of fast moving titles
using newsprint or poor textured paper, abuse of publication rights, hi-tech reproduction overseas, circumventing
the e-book version, illegal reprography, unauthorized excessive production by printers, and translation without permission. Some of the causes of book piracy are poverty, book scarcity, ignorance of the copyright laws by the public
and the uncooperative attitude of some countries in endorsing international treaties on intellectual property rights.
The paper recommends the following as panacea to stemming the tide of the menace: cost reduction strategies,
national book policy and commissioning of local authorship, awareness and enforcement of copyright laws, revitalization of libraries, sanctions on countries showing complacency towards piracy, special algorithms to detect illegal
downloads, security printing devices and moral suasion
ANTIBIOTICS RESISTANCE PROFILE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND ENTEROBACTER AEROGENES ISOLATED FROM WELL WATERS IN AGO-IWOYE, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA
Get PDFStaff PublicationEighty percent of all diseases are attributed to unsafe water with about 11.4 billion people in the world suffering from major
related diseases at various times. This study was carried out to investigate the antibiotics resistance profile of Escherichia
coli and Enterobacter aerogenes isolated from well waters in Ago-Iwoye, Southwestern Nigeria. Water samples were
collected from ten different wells. The multiple tube fermentation technique was employed to enumerate coliforms using
MacConkey broth. Nutrient agar and ethylene methylene blue (EMB) agar were used for the enumeration of Escherichia
coli and Enterobacter aerogenes. Biochemical characterization was carried out using standard methods. The disk diffusion
method was used to determine the antibiotics susceptibility profiles of the bacterial isolates. Results showed that wells
contained most probable number (MPN) of bacteria ranging from 43 to 1,100 bacteria per 100 ml. E. coli was present in
eight of the wells while E. aerogenes was present in all the wells. Wells B and C had the highest incidence of E. coli with
5.0 x 102 CFU/100ml while wells D and J had no incidence of E. coli. Occurrence of Enterobacter aerogenes was highest
in well B (4.5 x102 CFU/100ml), followed by well C (4.0 x102 CFU/100ml) while the lowest occurrence was obtained from
well F having a count of 2.0 x 102 CFU/100ml. E. coli was resitant to nitrofurantoin, ampicillin, cephalocidine,
sulphafurazole, carbenicillin and sulfamethazole while E. aerogenes was sensitive to colistin, gentamicin and nitrofurantoin
but resistant to the remaining antibiotics of the Gram negative disc. For the U4 disc, E. coli was susceptible to colistin
sulphate and resistant to all other antibiotics. E. aerogenes was resistant to the entire U4 discs. The presence of E. coli
and E. aerogenes suggested faecal pollution, hence the quality of the wells fell strongly below the standard of safe
drinking water. Most strains of isolates showed relative resistance to antibiotics investigated in this study and this should
be of great concerns to researchers
E-Learning 2.0 technologies and web applications in higher education
Get PDFOnce considered the traditional approach to education, brick and mortar institutions are no longer the norm due to e-learning technologies. Populations are turning into ubiquitous human beings, and educational practices are reflecting this change. E-Learning 2.0 Technologies and Web Applications in Higher Education compiles the latest empirical research findings in the area of e-learning and knowledge management technologies assessment. Highlighting specific comparisons and practices of em-learning and knowledge management technologies, this book is an essential guide for professionals and academics who want to improve their understanding of the strategic role of e-learning at different levels of the information and knowledge society
Occupational Stress: A Review on Conceptualisations, Causes and Cure.
Get PDFGiven the complex nature of the concept - occupational stress (also known as work or job stress), it
appears a daunting task reaching a unified definition of work stress because of the acknowledged fact
that a singular approach may not be able to encompass the breadth of the phenomenon. To this end, the
purpose of this paper is to provide a general review of some of the challenges surrounding the
conceptuality of occupational stress in literature. Subsequently, the established knowledge regarding the
nature and causes of occupational stress were examined in light of the conceptual typology of Murphy
(1995) and Michie (2002) that portrays various sources of workplace stress which has been categorized
as emanating from the context and content of work. These stress sources are consequentially known to
produce dire organisational and extra-organisational outcomes such as low morale, poor performance,
career uncertainty, absenteeism, health problems, work-life conflict, turnover and other reverses that
undermine competitive objectives of business. As solutions, stress curative measures are discussed to
assist managers to understand the significance of providing effective stress management interventions
that can enhance employee well-being and organisational productivity
Scorpion image segmentation system
Get PDFDeath as a result of scorpion sting has been a major public health problem in
developing countries. Despite the high rate of death as a result of scorpion sting, little report
exists in literature of intelligent device and system for automatic detection of scorpion. This
paper proposed a digital image processing approach based on the floresencing characteristics of
Scorpion under Ultra-violet (UV) light for automatic detection and identification of scorpion.
The acquired UV-based images undergo pre-processing to equalize uneven illumination and
colour space channel separation. The extracted channels are then segmented into two nonoverlapping classes. It has been observed that simple thresholding of the green channel of the
acquired RGB UV-based image is sufficient for segmenting Scorpion from other background
components in the acquired image. Two approaches to image segmentation have also been
proposed in this work, namely, the simple average segmentation technique and K-means image
segmentation. The proposed algorithm has been tested on over 40 UV scorpion images
obtained from different part of the world and results obtained show an average accuracy of
97.7% in correctly classifying the pixel into two non-overlapping clusters. The proposed
1 system will eliminate the problem associated with some of the existing manual approaches
presently in use for scorpion detection