Design and Implementation of an Auto result Computation System

Different approaches to meeting with targets in the area of computing and compiling results where looked at, the most used approach is the use of spreadsheet where users will develop custom functions and formulas to actualize their targets. The essence of this work is to design a generic system that can be adopted by any institution of higher learning to making the computation of results a lot more easier and as it is also more of error free and presents more accurate results as the title suggested; “AUTORESULT COMPUTATIONSYSTEM”. An extensive research was carried out to study and ascertain the mode of computation across various institutions thereby presenting a system that can be adopted across the globe. Whilst the work is to be used by a professor or a lecturer singly, my plan is to do more research to have a central system where all results from all professors can be submitted and be computed accordingly

Vertical Electric Sounding of Leachate Contaminant Plumes at a Dumpsite in Obigbo, Rivers State, Nigeria

The quality of underground water at a dumpsite in Obigbo, Rivers State, Nigeria, was investigated by collecting 7 vertical electrical soundings (VES) using Wenner electrode configuration with current electrode spacing (AB/2) ranging from 1.0 m to 300 m. Field data were acquired using the SAS 300C resistivity meter and accessories, coordinates and elevation were measured using the Global Positioning System (GPS) at each sounding station. The VES data showed that the area is composed of clay, sandy clay and sand. The contaminated zones have low resistivity and corresponding high conductivity. Two zones were identified, zones of low resistivity and high resistivity with values of 11.3 Ωm to 21.4 Ωm, and 357.0 Ωm to795.0 Ωm respectively. There is thus, both lateral and downward movement of the contaminant leachate plumes. The results also revealed that the  surrounding soil and groundwater around the landfill has not been contaminated to depths exceeding 15.6 m, which is shallower than the productive aquifer depth greater than 37.0 m. Judging from the age of the dumpsite, this site has a good protecting capacity, probably as a result of the presence of sufficient confined layers of clay that have impeded or slowed down the percolation of leachate into the aquifer. The aquifer is the underlying rocks of sand and gravel that are porous which constitute the water body.Keywords: Dumpsite, Resistivity, Sounding, Leachate, Aquifer

Legal Response to Oil Pollution in the Maritime Environment: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria, United Kingdom and the United States

This article undertakes a comparative analysis of the legal response to oil pollution in the maritime environment in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States. Major oil spills in these three states are examined with the aim of highlighting how each state responded to the pollution. In Nigeria, oil spills that are examined include: Texaco’sFuniwa-5 oil well spill of 1980 and the Mobil Qua-Iboe oil spillage of 1998. As regards the United Kingdom, the Torrey Canyon incident and other spills are examined. For the United States, the Ixtoc 1 spill of 1979, the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989 and the Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010 are examined.  These spills were often due to accidents and negligence during oil drilling and transportation. The United Kingdom and the United States had more robust legislation and policies that spelt out in advance how companies were to respond to oil spills. They also had effective mechanisms for the implementation and enforcement of the response to oil spills.  This was the case even in situations, such as the Torrey Canyon incident, in which the oil spills was from a vessel transporting crude oil in the international waters. In Nigeria, legislation on oil spills were often outdated andin conflict with each other. They were also poorly implemented due to inter alia inadequate funds, lack of political will on the part of the government and the fact that the Nigerian government is in Joint Venture agreements with the Multinational oil companies

Vertical Electric Sounding of Leachate Contaminant Plumes at a Dumpsite in Obigbo, Rivers State, Nigeria

The quality of underground water at a dumpsite in Obigbo, Rivers State, Nigeria, was investigated by collecting 7 vertical electrical soundings (VES) using Wenner electrode configuration with current electrode spacing (AB/2) ranging from 1.0 m to 300 m. Field data were acquired using the SAS 300C resistivity meter and accessories, coordinates and elevation were measured using the Global Positioning System (GPS) at each sounding station. The VES data showed that the area is composed of clay, sandy clay and sand. The contaminated zones have low resistivity and corresponding high conductivity. Two zones were identified, zones of low resistivity and high resistivity with values of 11.3 Ωm to 21.4 Ωm, and 357.0 Ωm to795.0 Ωm respectively. There is thus, both lateral and downward movement of the contaminant leachate plumes. The results also revealed that the  surrounding soil and groundwater around the landfill has not been contaminated to depths exceeding 15.6 m, which is shallower than the productive aquifer depth greater than 37.0 m. Judging from the age of the dumpsite, this site has a good protecting capacity, probably as a result of the presence of sufficient confined layers of clay that have impeded or slowed down the percolation of leachate into the aquifer. The aquifer is the underlying rocks of sand and gravel that are porous which constitute the water body. Keywords: Dumpsite, Resistivity, Sounding, Leachate, Aquifer

Protein-coding variants implicate novel genes related to lipid homeostasis contributing to body-fat distribution.

Body-fat distribution is a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular health consequences. We analyzed the association of body-fat distribution, assessed by waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index, with 228,985 predicted coding and splice site variants available on exome arrays in up to 344,369 individuals from five major ancestries (discovery) and 132,177 European-ancestry individuals (validation). We identified 15 common (minor allele frequency, MAF ≥5%) and nine low-frequency or rare (MAF <5%) coding novel variants. Pathway/gene set enrichment analyses identified lipid particle, adiponectin, abnormal white adipose tissue physiology and bone development and morphology as important contributors to fat distribution, while cross-trait associations highlight cardiometabolic traits. In functional follow-up analyses, specifically in Drosophila RNAi-knockdowns, we observed a significant increase in the total body triglyceride levels for two genes (DNAH10 and PLXND1). We implicate novel genes in fat distribution, stressing the importance of interrogating low-frequency and protein-coding variants

Effect of antenatal group discussion on fear of childbirth among pregnant women in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: Antenatal group discussions (AGDs) are utilized in antenatal peer support. Its application in controlling fear of childbirth (FOC) has not been widely studied in Africa. We examined the effect of AGDs on FOC among pregnant women. Methods: This experiment was done between in 2020 at a teaching hospital in Nigeria. We randomly assigned 218 consenting primigravid women into treatment (n = 111) and control groups (n = 107) and followed them from 31 to 38 weeks of gestation. The treatment group had one AGD session per week for 6 weeks, with each session lasting 120 minutes. The control group had no AGDs. The FOC Questionnaire was used for collecting data at 31 and 38 weeks of gestation. Inferential statistics were used for data analyses at a 5% significance level using SPSS 21. Results: At 31 weeks of pregnancy, 80.2% and 72.9% of participants in the treatment and control groups had unhealthy FOC (range 5 - 9) with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.204). At 38 weeks, FOC was significantly less in the treatment group compared to the control group (17.1% vs. 48.6%, p<0.001). The AGD reduced the likelihood of unhealthy FOC by 65.0% (RR: 0.35, 95%CI: 0.22 - 0.55). Conclusions: Participation in AGDs reduced FOC among pregnant women, hence recommended. The current caesarean statistics may further reduce if pregnant women were encouraged to utilize AGDs.

Prescribing indicators at primary health care centers within the WHO African region: a systematic analysis (1995-2015)

Abstract Background Rational medicine use is essential to optimize quality of healthcare delivery and resource utilization. We aim to conduct a systematic review of changes in prescribing patterns in the WHO African region and comparison with WHO indicators in two time periods 1995–2005 and 2006–2015. Methods Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, Africa-Wide Nipad, Africa Journals Online (AJOL), Google scholar and International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) Bibliography databases to identify primary studies reporting prescribing indicators at primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Africa. This was supplemented by a manual search of retrieved references. We assessed the quality of studies using a 14-point scoring system modified from the Downs and Black checklist with inclusions of recommendations in the WHO guidelines. Results Forty-three studies conducted in 11 African countries were included in the overall analysis. These studies presented prescribing indicators based on a total 141,323 patient encounters across 572 primary care facilities. The results of prescribing indicators were determined as follows; average number of medicines prescribed per patient encounter = 3.1 (IQR 2.3–4.8), percentage of medicines prescribed by generic name =68.0 % (IQR 55.4–80.3), Percentage of encounters with antibiotic prescribed =46.8 % (IQR 33.7–62.8), percentage of encounters with injection prescribed =25.0 % (IQR 18.7–39.5) and the percentage of medicines prescribed from essential medicines list =88.0 % (IQR 76.3–94.1). Prescribing indicators were generally worse in private compared with public facilities. Analysis of prescribing across two time points 1995–2005 and 2006–2015 showed no consistent trends. Conclusions Prescribing indicators for the African region deviate significantly from the WHO reference targets. Increased collaborative efforts are urgently needed to improve medicine prescribing practices in Africa with the aim of enhancing the optimal utilization of scarce resources and averting negative health consequences

Genome-wide meta-analysis of 241,258 adults accounting for smoking behaviour identifies novel loci for obesity traits

Few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) account for environmental exposures, like smoking, potentially impacting the overall trait variance when investigating the genetic contribution to obesity-related traits. Here, we use GWAS data from 51,080 current smokers and 190,178 nonsmokers (87% European descent) to identify loci influencing BMI and central adiposity, measured as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio both adjusted for BMI. We identify 23 novel genetic loci, and 9 loci with convincing evidence of gene-smoking interaction (GxSMK) on obesity-related traits. We show consistent direction of effect for all identified loci and significance for 18 novel and for 5 interaction loci in an independent study sample. These loci highlight novel biological functions, including response to oxidative stress, addictive behaviour, and regulatory functions emphasizing the importance of accounting for environment in genetic analyses. Our results suggest that tobacco smoking may alter the genetic susceptibility to overall adiposity and body fat distribution.Peer reviewe

Effects Of Methanolic Leaves Extract of Datura Alba Nees On Haematological Parameters In Male Wistar Rats

Haematological parameters are essential parameters that need to be assessed periodically to ascertain the levels and ensure that it is within the normal values in other to maintain good health. Blood cells are important because they have specific role as: RBC is for oxygen, and nutrient transportation, WBC is for body defense and platelet is for coagulation. Decrease in any of these formed elements may affects the body system and it must be within limits. The aim of the study is to evaluate the Effects of Methanolic Leaves Extract of Datura alba nees on Haematological Parameters in Male Wistar rats. Twenty (20) rats were randomly selected and placed into four groups with five rats per group. The control group was fed with rodent chow and water, the low dose group was given 500mg/kg/bwt of the extract, medium dose group was given 1000mg/kg/bwtof the extract, the high dose group was given 2000mg/kg/bwt of the extract. All the extracts were given orally. Administration lasted for 21 days and on the 22nd day, animals were weighed and sacrifice, blood samples were collected for haematological analysis. Data were analysed using ANOVA and SPSS version 25 were used and p < 0.05 was said to be significant. The results shows significant decrease in the white blood cells of the animals administered with both low and medium dose of the extract. Result also shows significant decrease in the red blood cells of the rats administered with medium dose of the extract. No significant difference in platelet counts. There is no significant difference is the haematological indices and differentials (neutrophils, monocytes, leucocytes and eosinophil of the rats administered with the extract. The result showed that, this extract induced dyslipidemia in male Wistar rats

Effects of Englerina drummondii Balle ex Polhill and Wiens leaves extract on selected female rat organs’ weights

Background: Herbal medicine are patronized by several people across the globe This herbal medicine is routinely use and are more accessible and available. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Englerina drummondii Balle ex Polhill and Wiens leaves on rat organs (thyroid gland, kidneys, ovary and fallopian tubes) weights in female rats. Methods: 20 female rats were selected randomly into 4 groups with 5 rats per group. Group 1 received 5 ml/kg of water, group 2 received extract 100 mg/kg, group 3 received extract 200 mg/kg, and group 4 received extract 400 mg/kg. Administration of extract was done for 28 days. Results: The study revealed significance decreased in the weight of the left ovary organ when extract of medium dose (200 mg/kg) and high dose (400 mg/kg) was administered, as compared to control. The result also shows decrease in the organs weight of the thyroid gland, left kidney, right and left fallopian tubes extract of low, medium and high dose were administered. The right kidney shows increase when low dose extract was given but decrease when both low and medium dose of extract was given. However, this decrease is not significance and could be due to dose or time dependent. Statistical analysis was done using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 23 and p<0.05 was significant. Conclusions: There was significance decreased in the weight of the left ovary organ when extract of medium dose (200 mg/kg) and high dose (400 mg/kg) was administered. Also, there is decrease in other organs weight when low, medium and high dose was given but not significance