Volume 8, Issue 4, April 2020 Edition - GSJ Journal Publication

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AN IMPROVED MICROCONTROLLER - BASED PATIENT'S VITAL SIGNS MONITORING DEVICE []


the medical field, the clinical study of the basic vital signs of a patient represents the simplest and most effective way to detect and monitor health problems. Continuous discoveries in medical sensor technology and mobile devices fields, joined with increasing wireless communication abilities, have made possible the development of new health monitoring models. The research work is to design and construct an improved microcontroller-based patients’ vital signs(temperature) monitoring device. The device is a real time monitoring device, that transmits the data gotten from the temperature sensor via Arduino (Microcontroller) to the cloud for easy access/ monitoring through the ESP8266 Wi-Fi cloud module or to the LCD to display the values. The values displayed on the LCD indicates the temperature values and condition of the patient. More so, an alarm system (known as triage system) is added to alert the physician, nurses, and paramedical of the critical changes in the patient health. Additionally, LEDs of different colors (serves as indicator) is incorporated to indicate/alert the physician of changes in patients’ temperature values. The implications of the results, and suggestions for further studies were made.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO DETERMINING THE CONDITIONS FOR MAXIMUM DISCHARGE THROUGH A CHIMNEY []


Flue gas channels have been utilized to exchange heat with the air inside a chimney and the ambient. This heat which is usually given to the environment is termed thermal pollution. The thermal efficiency of the system is the ratio of useful energy against given heat energy. Adopting the analytical approach and modeling, this paper investigates the conditions for maximum discharge through a chimney. The net pressure difference causing the flow through the combustion chamber,, was found to be dependent on the pressure due to the column of hot gas of height, ρ g . gH, inside the chimney. The mass of the gases flowing through any cross-section of the chimney, is given by ρ g . A. C. (kg/s). Assuming no loss, the velocity of the gases passing through the chimney is given by; C = . Thus, we see that the absolute temperature of the chimney gases bears a certain ratio to the absolute temperature of the outside air, as eqn. (13) portrays. Following this analysis, it could be concluded that the efficiency of a chimney is proportional to the height; but even for a very tall chimney, will be less than 1 percent.

Use of e-learning Resources by Secondary School Teachers in Kwara State []


This study investigates the use of e-learning resources by secondary school teachers in Kwara State. It was basically concerned with the use of e-learning resources by secondary school teachers in Kwara State. Specifically, the study intends to find out the availability, accessibility and usability of e-learning resources by secondary school teachers in Kwara State. The target population of this study was all secondary school teachers in Kwara State which were selected from some selected secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis using multistage sampling method; cluster and purposive sampling. A total of 200 teachers were drawn from the selected schools in Ilorin metropolis. A researcher designed questionnaire containing 24 items was deployed to collect data from the teachers. Simple percentage was used for the demographic data of respondents while t-test was used to answer research questions and for testing of research hypothesis. It was discovered that not many school have available e-learning resources and even the ones that have them do suffer from one challenge of poor or no network, epileptic power supply, no or poor manpower, etc. Also, it was revealed that accessing the available e-learning resources was not a challenge to the teachers but there were no furnished computer laboratories and that not all teachers have personal laptops, among other findings. There was no significance difference in the use of e-learning resources between the male and females and age was not a determinant of effective usage of the e-learning resources. It was concluded that e-learning is a must use for secondary schools hence the use of computers for most entrance examinations these days. Suggestions were raised on collaboration between government through ministry of education and other agencies to support e-learning and there should be injection of fund as well as training and retraining of personnel. A study of the use of e-learning resources by private and public secondary schools amongst other recommendations were made.

Seasonal Variation in Accumulation of Atmospheric Heavy Metals in Bryophyte Moss around the Mining Areas of Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria []


Abstract The seasonal variation in the accumulation of atmospheric heavy metals around the mining areas of Ebonyi state were assessed using bryophyte mosses as biomonitors. Moss samples were collected from various substrates at Ihietutu, Amaokwe, Uburu/Okposi and Nkalagu mining areas across the State during the dry and wet seasons and analysed for the concentration of Al, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Pb, Zn, As, Mn and Hg by means of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The results of the analysis showed varying order in the mean heavy metal concentration in the moss samples across the mining areas with Ihietutu Pb/Zn mining area having the order Al>K>Ca>Fe>Mg>Pb>Zn>Na>Cu>Mn>As>Cd>Hg; Amaokwe stone quarry area had Al>Ca>Mg>Fe>K>Cu>Na>Zn>Pb>Mn>Cd>As>Hg; Uburu/Okposi salt mining area had Na>Mg>Ca>K>Al>Fe>Zn>Cu>Pb>Hg>Mn>Cd>As; and Nkalagu limestone mining area had Ca>Mg>Al>Fe>K>Zn>Cu>Pb>Na>Mn>Hg>As>Cd. The result also showed that the dry season moss samples had higher concentration of all the analysed heavy metals than the wet season samples, due to the action of wind on the dry heaps of wastes and overburden around the mining areas, exposing the mosses to higher amounts of dusts replete with heavy metals. The study concludes that solid mineral mining activities results in the emission of pollutants containing heavy metals into the atmosphere, and that the monitoring of these emissions gives an understanding of their spatial and temporal distribution, their effects on the environment and human health, and how to minimise their effects. It therefore recommends that mining companies should monitor their activities regularly by putting in place measures that curb emissions of dusts and other pollutants so as to reduce their adverse effects.

Synthesis, Characterization and Antibacterial Activities of Phenoxyl Derivatives of Imidazole []


Infections caused by bacteria have consistently emerged over the years as public health challenges due to difficulty in treatment resulting from bacterial resistance to commercial drugs. The study was conducted with the aim of discovering potential antibacterial drugs. The synthesis started with formation 1-ethyl-2-methyl-4-nitro-5-chloro imidazole as described in the literature. Then, phenol derivatives were coupled with the compound to produce 1-methyl-2-ethyl-4-nitro-5-(4-chlorophenoxyl) imidazole and 1-methyl-2-ethyl-4-nitro-5-(4-nitrophenoxyl) imidazole. Spectroscopic methods were used to characterize the synthesized compounds. The results of the antibacterial screening showed that the compounds possessed some degree of antibacterial activities against the tested bacteria including Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli Shigella dysenteriae, Klebseilla pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosaI.

The optimum encryption method for image compressed by AES []


In this paper, the idea of partial encoding is proposed to be used for secure encryption of only a portion of compressed data. Only 10% -25% of the output is encrypted from the quadtree compression algorithm. As a result, the encryption and decryption time was reduced considerably. Thus, in the compression stage, the quadtree compression algorithm is used while in the encoding stage, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm is applied. The proposed partial coding system is fast and safe and does not reduce the compression performance of the underlying specific algorithm.

The Dispersive Potential of the Lower Troposphere over Climate Zones in Nigeria []


This study examined the dispersive potential pattern in the lower atmosphere across five areas in major climate belts of Nigeria; namely, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Jos, Kano and Maiduguri using the Gaussian Plume modelling technique. Prevailing atmospheric stability conditions in these areas were used to augment the model run. Hypothetical emissions for suspended particulate matter (SPM) released across these areas from three simple cycle power generating gas turbines (General Electric Frame 9) each of rating between 120-150MW was utilised. Results show that the maximum ground level concentrations for SPM range from 0.01-0.69µg/m3, 0.01-1.29µg/m3, 0.01-1.39µg/m3, 0.01-1.39µg/m3 and 0.01-1.78µg/m3 for Port Harcourt, Enugu, Jos, Kano and Maiduguri respectively. Findings show that very stable condition (Pasquill-Gifford stability class F) that exists in Port Harcourt and Jos during the night restricts ground level SPM concentrations than the neutral (class D) and stable (class E) stability conditions for Enugu, Kano & Maiduguri respectively for most of the seasons. The magnitude of emission concentrations impact for the prevailing stability conditions during night periods range from stability classes E>D>F. Results also revealed that during unstable conditions (Pasquill-Gifford stability classes A, B and C) at noon and transition periods, ground level concentrations is less in Port Harcourt than the rest areas. While pollutant concentrations increased beyond 100km under dominant stability class C in Port Harcourt, it was restricted to less than 50km under dominant stability classes A and B in Enugu, Jos, Kano and Maiduguri at noon time. During transition periods, distance of maximum impacts was restricted to 50km under stability class B in Port Harcourt but varied between 60-100km under stability classes B and C for the rest stations. This shows that increased surface mechanical turbulence during transitions periods in Enugu, Jos, Kano and Maiduguri will aid further transportation of ground level emissions. All ground level SPM concentrations were below acceptable limit, however, high emission sources must be discouraged across study areas especially during night time as prevailing stability conditions will ensure that emitted pollutants are trapped within the atmospheric boundary layer thereby impacting on the health of boundary layer dwellers.

Suicide A Lost Battle of the Mind: Way Forward. []


Abstract Human beings are unique, being gifted with the ability to reason, make choices, and take decisions that affect their overall being. As a unique being, regards for human life is treated with utmost priority, both within the confines of religion and mainstream governance. From the perspective of the state, protection for human life has occupied essential spots in the constitution of many nations as well as in universal human rights norms and standards which acknowledges the supremacy of human life. The emphasis in constitutions and human rights documents had always focused on preventing the arbitrary loss of lives of people, however, in an event where the life in question is arbitrary taken by the bearer! Who and what can be blamed. Suicide refers to the death resulting in self-focused harmful behaviours of people with the sole goal of facilitating the onset of death due to the exhibited harmful self-directed behaviour. The prevalence of suicide is widespread among men and women of various age groups both in high, middle and low-income countries, with a global prevalence of 800,000 deaths per year. Most suicidal acts are influenced by an ongoing mental and psychological disorder, stress from work or school, depression, personal conflicts, among many others. In Nigeria, the prevalence of suicide is said to be 9.9 per 100,000, with the highest mortality occurring among people within the age of 19-30. Despite the high prevalence of suicide, yet suicide is still preventable. This study, therefore, explored the prevalence as well as motivation for suicide in Nigeria, with the focus of recommending a way out of the scourge.

AFRICAN SEXUALITIES: AN OVERVIEW OF CHALLENGES FACED BY HOMOSEXUALS []


ABSTRACT The proliferation of homosexuality in many parts of Africa is an indication that the existence of this practice cannot be ignored. Homosexuality may be defined as sexual attraction between people of the same sex. In this paper the term homosexuality will be used to refer to gays and lesbians. The concept of homosexuality seems to portray a new outfit on the African ground creating the perception of a new form of sexuality. Homosexuality has been considered a threat to traditional African, Christian and Muslim cultures. As a result, homosexuals have been treated with hostility in different parts of the African continent. Yet, secondary sources show that same-sex sexual relationships have been in existence for several decades even in pre-colonial Africa. Through secondary research this paper examines the practice of same-sex sexual relationships in Africa; the existence of homosexuality in Africa; their experiences, perspectives and challenges inorder to provide answers to the following questions: Do same-sex sexual relationships exist in Africa? What are the experiences of homosexuals in Africa? What are the perspectives of the African leaders regarding homosexuality? What challenges do homosexuals face in Africa? How do they cope with their volatile situation? These questions will be answered to provide an overview of the experiences and challenges of homosexuality in contemporary Africa. Keywords: African sexuality, African leaders, homophobia, homosexuality, homosexuals, same-sex sexual relationships, violence.

Spatial Distribution of Primary Health Care Centres in Ovia North-East Local Government area of Edo State –Nigeria. []


This paper examines the distribution of primary health care centres in Ovia North-East local government area of Edo state. In other to achieve this objective, the survey type of research design was adopted. Data required for the study were obtained from primary and secondary sources. The field observation method was used for the primary data collection. Data collected were analyzed using the Nearest Neighbour ratio. The study revealed that there were 43 primary health care centres in the area as at the time of the study, and their distribution pattern was clustered. Based on the findings, the need for government to equitably locate more of such primary health care centres in the area was recommended to properly integrate the people into the nation’s health care system for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Determination of Pollution Status of Sediment of Elele-Alimini Stream, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Using Pollution Indices. []


This study investigated the pollution status and ecological risk of the sediment of Elele-Alimini Stream, Port Hacourt from three stations. Some pollution indices such as contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), toxicity unit analysis (TUA) and potential ecological risk (PER) were used to determine the pollution status and ecological risk level of the sediment. The mean concentration (mg/l) of the metals, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni and Cu in the sediment were respectively 0.069±0.048, 2.089±0.288, 0.223±0.115, 1.289±0.114 and 1.289±0.114 with Cr and Cd having the highest and lowest values. The order of concentration of metals was Cr>Cu>Ni>Pb >Cd. The mean values all exceeded the maximum permissible limit (MPL), criterion continous concentration (CCC) indicating pollution. The indices, CF, Igeo and PLI were less than unity indicating lower contamination of sediment by the observed heavy metals. The sum of the toxic unit at different stations less than 4 showed low toxicity while the descending order of pollutants (metals) in the sediment showed low potential ecological risk. It was concluded that sediment of Elele-Alimini Stream had low pollution. It was also recommended that anthropogenic activities in the area should be monitored to avoid further elevation.

Estimation of Economic Injury Levels of Aphis craccivora Koch. for IPM in Cowpea in Chittagong, Bangladesh. []


Cowpea aphids Aphis craccivora Koch is considered to be one of the major pests of cowpea. To estimation the economic threshold level and economic injury level for Aphis craccivora nymph on cowpea crop were worked out. On an average, 20 nymphs per m row reduced the yield to the extent of 49 kg/ha and 79 kg/ha in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 cropping season, respectively. EILs for Aphis craccivora were determined as 20 and 21 per m row and ETLs was at 15 and 15.75 nymphs per m row in 2010-2011 and 2011 -2012, respectively.

SECTARIAN CONFLICTS IN PAKISTAN A CASE STUDY OF BALUCHISTAN []


Pakistan has from the beginning faced security issues both internally and externally. Pakistan has a long history of political and religious conflicts. According to Global Terrorism report which was issued in 2016 clearly estimated that Pakistan among the top five countries of the world which has affected by religious terrorism, extremism, and militancy. Baluchistan has the largest province of Pakistan due to its natural resources always remained the interest bank for both internal and external powers. Baluchistan has the most affected area which has badly affected by sectarian violence and terrorism. In Pakistan sectarianism has badly affected our people particularly the people of Baluchistan. The Sunni Shia conflict has remained a core issue for the provincial government as well as for the Federal government. The militant groups of these identities operated against each one another. Due to sectarian violence life in Baluchistan is damaging, in these sectarian attacks the Hazara community has targeted. The security forces have to work to maintained law and order situation in the province and particularly in Quetta, but all effort always remained useless. Hazara community has very damaging in their lives due to these attacks, the Hazara community limited to just their enclaves. Hazara community due to their ethnic, linguistic, and physical appearance easily targeted by religious militants groups like Lashkar e Jhangvi (Sepha Sahaba), TTP, etc. In this paper I will highlight the causes due to which the Hazara community in Baluchistan is targeted in Sectarian terrorist attacks.

SOILS AND SUB-SOILS CONTAMINATION: MIGRATION OF PETROLEUM TO THE GROUND SURFACE ACCOUNTING FOR VARIABLE PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT IN COMPRESSIBLE ROCKS. []


We have investigated the pollution of soils and sub-soils by the petroleum during it’s upwards motility to the ground surface. Our analysis has taken into account the compressibility of the rocks and the variability of the permeability coefficient. We have demonstrated that the system is governed by a strongly non-linear equation of diffusion. This equation has been solved numerically using the DOPRI5 fourth-and-fifth-order Runge-Kutta variable step integrator. Three types of rock were involved in this survey, namely intact rock, clay rock and sandy rock. We have obtained that the type of the rock, as well as the type of the oil, plays a crucial role in the migration process. So, in the case of the sandy rock, the maximum distance attainable by the oil is approximately 1430 m. This value turns into 1850 m when we consider rather the clay rock for the same period of observation. Taking into account light oil, we have reached a distance of about 1200 m, whereas extra-heavy oil let us to only 1000 m. Seeking for the impact of the coefficient of permeability, we have considered two different values of the permeability: k=〖10〗^(-14) m^2 and k=〖10〗^(-12) m^2. And a real gap was recorded between the rate of oil diffusion..

EXTERNALIZATION OF NIGERIA CIVIL WAR: INTERROGATING THE ROLE OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE IN THE RECOGNITION OF BIAFRA; 1968-1970 []


This work is an historical assessment of Ivory Coast now Côte d'Ivoire’s recognition of Biafra and paradigm shift in the conventional guiding principle of Nigeria towards her neighbours. The civil war started on 6 July, 1967 and ended 12 January, 1970. The war started gaining external influence after suffering endured by the Biafran people and the deployment of media propaganda war by the Federal Military Government of Nigeria and Biafra. Officially recognized the enclave was Tanzania, Gabon, Ivory Coast and Zambia. The study examines the motivating factors that necessitated Ivory Coast to grant Biafra recognition and its implications on Nigerian foreign policy. It carefully examines the relationship between Nigeria and Ivory Coast during the civil war and the role of France as a major determinant of policies of the francophone countries. The methodology adopted for this paper is historical approach. Data were sourced from both primary and secondary sources. The study relied heavily on archival materials, books, newspapers and Journal articles, which are relevant to the study. The study found out that economic interest plays a major proponent in the recognition. It also reveals how Nigeria changed her diplomatic relations with African countries that acted against the Organisation of African Unity’s charter and resolutions. This had far-reaching consequences on the integrity of Nigeria and the O.A.U because of the externalization war. The study concludes that the recognition of Biafra contributed to the prolongation of the war; hence, Ivory Coast’s partial role in the crisis was a negation against the principle of territorial integrity of Nigeria. Key Words: Ivory Coast, Recognition, Biafra, Nigeria, Foreign Policy