bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
University Students
Authors: Ikuta Shigeru , Sakurai Emi , Takayanagi Misa , Suzuki Nao , Horiuchi Momoka , Nakano Honami , Tamai Yui , Sugibayashi Kana , Yoshida Moeka , Kaneko Chikako , Nakazawa Yuko , Yamashita Satsuki , Oshima Mariko , Abe Shinya
Published: February 2021

University students go to school several times a week, as voluntary supporters, and help teachers not only conduct lessons, but also create self-made teaching materials with newly developed technologies such as multimedia-enabled dot codes and EPUB 3 eBooks with Read-Aloud. The university students-schoolteachers partnership enables the younger students to learn the required subjects with newly educational technologies. For university students, especially those in the pre-service teacher program, such a collaboration is really effective to not only know the class lessons, but also to encourage them to become teachers. The collaborative research works of the university professor with the ICT business companies are crucial to produce newly creative and gifted software and tools for students with various difficulties. This chapter briefly presents newly developed software and tools used for class lessons, and then it describes fruitful collaboration with schoolteachers in creating self-made teaching materials and conducting activities.
Blending Local Government Authorities and Grassroots for Industrial Economy Through Participatory Development Communication in Tanzania
Authors: Mwakisisya Hagai Joseph , Rugeiyamu Rogers , Cyprian Sebastian
Published: February 2021

The chapter using participatory communication for development approach seeks to gauge the performance of LGAs in drawing the grassroots into taking a leading role in micro-manufacturing development. The study was conducted in Bahi district and it involved two wards, namely Mpamantwa and Bahi-sokoni. Focus group discussions, observation, and interviews were used as data collection methods. A total of 51 participants were used in the study. The results revealed the relationship between industrialization awareness and achievement of industrialization vision. People at the grassroots are still not aware of their role in industrialization process due to lack of education and capacity. At the same time, LGAs also still wait or depend on the central government on the process. The study recommends awareness creation through participatory communication strategies to both LGAs and the grassroots and improvement of the line of communication between the LGAs, grassroots, and other key players in the development of industrial economy.
The Influence of Role Play Teaching Technique on English Performance Among Learners With Hearing Impairment, Kenya
Authors: Yabbi Judith Opiyo
Published: February 2021

Role-play is a holistic pedagogy in teaching. The technique instills critical thinking in pupils, enhances emotional intelligence, and improves morality and forms of realism about information. The chapter examines the influence of role-play teaching technique on English performance among the pupils with hearing impairment in Kenyan primary schools. The chapter looks at several elements of role-playing such as games, real-life expression, imitation, positive impact, and the challenges facing the effective implementation of the use of role-play in teaching and learning in primary schools of learners with hearing impairment. This study is a desktop review and only relies on secondary materials. The literature was sourced in various databases. The review revealed that role-play improves the self-efficacy of the learner since the technique is grounded in reality. Learning is enhanced when the activities involved are memorable and engaging.
Challenges and Strategies TowardsTeenage Mother Re-Entry Policy Implementation in Secondary Schools
Authors: Kukali Anne Nang'unda
Published: February 2021

This study investigated challenges and strategies towards teenage mother re-entry policy (TMRP) implementation in public secondary schools in Bungoma County. Objectives were to examine extent of TMRP implementation, establish challenges faced, and assess strategies towards implementation. Data collection instruments were interviews, questionnaire, and document analysis. Convenience, snowball, and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 36 parents of TMs, 49 TMs, 19 principals, and sub county director of education, respectively. The study established that extent of implementation was low (AMR=2.40), on overall challenges were high (AMR=3.20) with fear, shame, and stigma (MR=3.73) strategies (AMR=3.40) with parental involvement (MR=4.15). The study concluded that implementation was low due to lack of commitment. Recommended to MOE to conduct seminars for school administrators and parents on TMRP alongside individual and national economic development benefits associated with TM re-entry.
An Introduction to Controlflow and Dataflow Supercomputing
Authors: Kotlar Miloš
Published: February 2021

In the controlflow paradigm, based on the finite automata theory, one writes a program in order to control the flow of data through the hardware. In the dataflow paradigm, one writes a program in order to configure the hardware. Then, the question is what moves data through the hardware, if that is not a stored program? Ideally, in the dataflow paradigm, data get moved by the voltage difference between the system input and the system output, with flip-flops and register barriers in-between (FPGAs), or without these barriers (referred as ultimate dataflow), possibly but not necessarily, with the computing infrastructure based on the analog hardware. See the references for one specific viewpoint related to the subject.
Paradigms for Effective Parallelization of Inherently Sequential Graph Algorithms on Multi-Core Architectures
Authors: Gebremedhin Assefaw , Patwary Mostofa , Manne Fredrik
Published: February 2021

The chapter describes two algorithmic paradigms, dubbed speculation and iteration and approximate update, for parallelizing greedy graph algorithms and vertex ordering algorithms, respectively, on multicore architectures. The common challenge in these two classes of algorithms is that the computations involved are inherently sequential. The efficacy of the paradigms in overcoming this challenge is demonstrated via extensive experimental study on two representative algorithms from each class and two Intel multi-core systems. The algorithms studied are (1) greedy algorithms for distance-k coloring (for k = 1 and k = 2) and (2) algorithms for two degree-based vertex orderings. The experimental results show that the paradigms enable the design of scalable methods that to a large extent preserve the quality of solution obtained by the underlying serial algorithms.
High Performance Computing for Understanding Natural Language
Authors: Stanojevic Marija , Alshehri Jumanah , Obradovic Zoran
Published: February 2021

The amount of user-generated text available online is growing at an ever-increasing rate due to tremendous progress in enlarging inexpensive storage capacity, processing capabilities, and the popularity of online outlets and social networks. Learning language representation and solving tasks in an end-to-end manner, without a need for human-expert feature extraction and creation, has made models more accurate and much more complicated in the number of parameters, requiring parallelized and distributed resources high-performance computing or cloud. This chapter gives an overview of state-of-the-art natural language processing problems, algorithms, models, and libraries. Parallelized and distributed ways to solve text understanding, representation, and classification tasks are also discussed. Additionally, the importance of high-performance computing for natural language processing applications is illustrated by showing details of a few specific applications that use pre-training or self-supervised learning on large amounts of data in text understanding.
Unified Modeling for Emulating Electric Energy Systems
Authors: Ilic Marija , Jaddivada Rupamathi , Gebremedhin Assefaw
Published: February 2021

Large-scale computing, including machine learning (MI) and AI, offer a great promise in enabling sustainability and resiliency of electric energy systems. At present, however, there is no standardized framework for systematic modeling and simulation of system response over time to different continuous- and discrete-time events and/or changes in equipment status. As a result, there is generally a poor understanding of the effects of candidate technologies on the quality and cost of electric energy services. In this chapter, the authors discuss a unified, physically intuitive multi-layered modeling of system components and their mutual dynamic interactions. The fundamental concept underlying this modeling is the notion of interaction variables whose definition directly lends itself to capturing modular structure needed to manage complexity. As a direct result, the same modeling approach defines an information exchange structure between different system layers, and hence can be used to establish structure for the design of a dedicated computational architecture, including AI methods.
AI Storm ... From Logical Inference and Chatbots to Signal Weighting, Entropy Pooling
Authors: Moutinho Luiz A. M.
Published: February 2021

The chapter is focused on the paradigm shift of artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing evolution. Considering the effects of AI on marketing and AI powered by engagement marketing, why is AI the marketing future? Is AI in marketing merely over-promoted? What can AI do for marketing and how can AI most influence and bring advantages to marketing and transformation of the customer experience through mass personalisation? Some critical impacts of chatbots are highlighted, with explanations of what they can do and how they will change the future of customer engagement. An explanation of how AI products influence and transform the role of product management is given, emphasizing the importance of the human context delivering, along with emerging technologies. Following this is an investigation about AI influencing brand management, and by the end, the issues of the future of AI and robotics are highlighted.
An Experimental Healthcare System
Authors: Bojović Miroslav M. , Milutinović Veljko , Bojić Dragan , Korolija Nenad
Published: February 2021

Contemporary healthcare systems face growing demand for their services, rising costs, and a workforce. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform how care is delivered and to help meet the challenges. Recent healthcare systems have been focused on using knowledge management and AI. The proposed solution is to reach explainable and causal AI by combining the benefits of the accuracy of deep-learning algorithms with visibility on the factors that are important to the algorithm's conclusion in a way that is accessible and understandable to physicians. Therefore, the authors propose AI approach in which the encoded clinical guidelines and protocols provide a starting point augmented by models that learn from data. The new structure of electronic health records that connects data from wearables and genomics data and innovative extensible big data architecture appropriate for this AI concept is proposed. Consequently, the proposed technology may drastically decrease the need for expensive software and hopefully eliminates the need to do diagnostics in expensive institutions.
Motor Intervention Program for Improving the Learning of English Vocabulary in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Padial-Ruz Rosario , García-Molina Raquel , Cepero-González Mar , González M. Esther Puga
Published: February 2021

Despite the widespread perception that the preschool stage is a physically active stage, current studies indicate that levels of physical activity (PA). Of the different environments in which PA engagement may be promoted, the school setting is one of the most important. Thus, there is a need to investigate further in this area in order to propose research designs and interventions which can be evaluated. An innovative and recently researched method is the integration of movement within classroom activities which goes beyond break time activity and the implementation of government mandated curricular physical education sessions. Specifically, the current chapter addresses the combination of basic physical activity and academic lessons as an approach for teaching English language vocabulary. Results from research studies to have developed interventions using this methodology provide positive outcomes regarding effectiveness in terms of increasing physical activity, motivation, and cognitive performance at early ages.
Learning Environments About Colombian Legends as a Didactic Strategy
Authors: Rodríguez Yulmis Isabel , Gil-Madrona Pedro , Méndez Hinojosa Luz Marina
Published: February 2021

This chapter presents a proposal for a didactic intervention in physical education for early childhood education in a learning environment created from the Colombian legends. The purpose is to contribute to the cognitive, motor, perceptual, social, and emotional development and a progress in the knowledge of their own culture. Throughout it, the objectives of the didactic proposal, the methodological strategies, the material resources, the clusters, the environments, as well as the evaluation will be exposed.
Pedagogical Proposals for the Sensory and Motor Stimulation of Children From 0 to 2 Years Old
Authors: García María Alcaraz , Sánchez Clara María Sáez , Sánchez María Belén Sáez , Segura José Jaime Pérez
Published: February 2021

This proposal encompasses in a practical and viable way a collection of activities to contribute to the early development of children's perceptive capacities through sensory stimulation and psychomotor education. These activities have been adjusted to the reality of the school and the evolution and personal features of children from 0 to 2 years old. Moreover, recommendations and strategies to grant an inclusive early education derived from the experience of putting them into practice have been included. The goal, in every case, will be the creation of fun learning situations where the infants feel free to do, touch, feel, express, make mistakes, and try things over and over again.
Move Your Brain!
Authors: León María Pilar , Prieto-Ayuso Alejandro
Published: February 2021

Active breaks have received great attention both among teachers and researchers and are used by those who pursuit to take advantage of all its benefits. Because of these benefits, many teachers or schools have incorporated active breaks into their daily classroom routines. However, to the authors' knowledge, there is not any program aimed entirely at preschool age. Also, the type of activities proposed in these programs are mostly mechanic with low cognitive engagement while some authors argue that cognitively engaging physical activity is more beneficial for cognitive and academic performance than mechanic activities. For these reasons, this chapter proposes a new active break program aimed at preschool children. This program, entitled “Move Your Brain,” will be composed of physical activities with inherent cognitive demands to challenge the children's brains.
Globalized Physical Education Teaching Proposal for Five-Year-Olds Knowing the World Pirate
Authors: Gómez Encarnación Cambronero , Requena Aurora Peinado , Carretero Belén Navarro
Published: February 2021

This chapter presents a didactic and globalized proposal for the area of physical education in early childhood education. The purpose of this intervention is that the children develop holistically through play and movement the basic motor skills while they are immersed in the knowledge of the pirate world. To achieve the objectives, an active and participatory methodology is proposed with age-appropriate material resources. Play and the motor story are the main resources that are going to be used to achieve the didactic objectives. Keywords: motor skills, autonomy, competencies, movement, play, children, motor story.
A Framework for Designing and Evaluating Internet Interventions to Improve Tinnitus Care
Authors: Beukes Eldré W. , Andersson Gerhard , Manchaiah Vinaya , Allen Peter M. , Baguley David M.
Published: February 2021

Tinnitus can be a debilitating hearing-related symptom. Access to evidence-based tinnitus interventions remain limited. Tele-audiology can assist by providing a clinically and cost-effective tinnitus management route. This chapter highlights how this is made possible by focusing on one form of tele-audiology, namely an internet-based intervention. Guidelines are provided for the development of such interventions. A framework outlining the various processes involved in evaluating newly developed interventions is also provided. The chapter closes by discussing factors that may facilitate or hamper the dissemination of new interventions into existing service delivery models. This well-defined outline for intervention development and evaluation can be applied and used to guide innovative intervention models by stakeholders.
Telemedicine Trajectory in Healthcare
Authors: Chen Edward T.
Published: February 2021

Telemedicine has been implemented in both public and private health services and has shown a potential to improve healthcare industry. Many governments are boosting telemedicine applications through regulations to reap the benefits. The purpose of this article is to investigate the current situation revolving around telehealth and more precisely, telemedicine. This is accomplished by supplying a brief history of the technology as it has evolved. Then, an analysis of the benefits of telemedicine and its opportunities for growth. Next, the current issues and limitations of telemedicine will be examined. Finally, there is a final discussion on the future of telemedicine with some currently developing applications and conclusion.
Goldstein and Stephens Revisited and Extended to a Telehealth Model of Hearing Aid Optimization
Authors: Saunders Elaine , Brice Sophie , Alimoradian Roya
Published: February 2021

Tele-audiology practice is sometimes portrayed or practiced as an extension of conventional audiology practice, but in reality, it should be considered as a more flexible and innovative way of delivering hearing healthcare. It is likely to continue expanding beyond the bounds of conventional audiology into the future. This has far-reaching implications for clinical utility and client satisfaction. One important consequence is that tele-audiology is changing the way individuals are approaching their hearing health. In a connected economy, people are becoming more empowered in managing their health and are metamorphosing from patients, whose only option is to visit a clinical facility, to consumers with choices. There will still be a need for conventional audiology practices to manage more complex cases where medical diagnosis and intervention are involved, or where clients prefer face-to-face service, but this will be as part of a hearing health ecosystem where the consumer makes the choices drawing on a range of influencing factors. There is now substantial evidence from large-scale studies and clinical data that aspects of tele-audiology are prevalent within different service models and that the outcomes are at least as beneficial to the recipients as the outcomes from delivery of conventional audiology services in conventional audiology clinics. In addition to potential improvements to client outcomes, tele-audiology is already starting to improve access to hearing health services, reduce costs, and deliver social and economic benefits to society.
Adaptive Prediction Methods for Medical Image/Video compression for Telemedicine Application
Authors: Pathak Ketki C. , Sarvaiya Jignesh N. , Darji Anand D.
Published: February 2021

Due to rapid development of multimedia communication and advancement of image acquisition process, there is a crucial requirement of high storage and compression techniques to mitigate high data rate with limited bandwidth scenario for telemedicine application. Lossless compression is one of the challenging tasks in applications like medical, space, and aerial imaging field. Apart from achieving high compression ratio, in these mentioned applications there is a need to maintain the original imaging quality along with fast and adequate processing. Predictive coding was introduced to remove spatial redundancy. The accuracy of predictive coding is based on the choice of effective and adaptive predictor which is responsible for removing spatial redundancy. Medical images like computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) consume huge storage and utilize maximum available bandwidth. To overcome these inherent challenges, the authors have reviewed various adaptive predictors and it has been compared with existing JPEG and JPEG LS-based linear prediction technique for medical images.
A Cloud-Based Smartphone Solution for Transmitting Bio-Signals From an Emergency Response Vehicle
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Adwitiya , Sreekumar Sidharth , Xavier Bobin , Suraj M
Published: February 2021

Most developing countries are currently unable to provide adequate, let alone advanced healthcare support to rural areas. Telemedicine combines the capability of information technology and dedicated people working towards the common goal of providing good quality healthcare in remote areas. In this article, the authors propose a system that can be used to transmit patient vitals like pulse rate, oxygen saturation, and perfusion index readings to a doctor in a remote area, while a patient is in transit. This system uses a smartphone application, a pulse oximeter, and the real-time data transferring capabilities of Firebase (a cloud database). The application has been tested under various network conditions which includes connection types such as 2G (2nd Generation), 3G (3rd Generation), 4G (4th Generation), and Fiber To The Home (FTTH). The work also discusses the possible reasons for the higher performance found in 4G networks over 3G and 2G cellular connections.
The E-Viewer Study
Authors: Wickramasinghe Nilmini , O'Connor Louise , Grummet Jeremy
Published: February 2021

For patients undergoing surgery in a multi-day admission, standard care requires that their surgeon review the patient post-operatively to check on their progress. This is usually done by the specialist attending in person. However, in the Australian setting, most specialists work at multiple institutions. As a result, review ward rounds, especially of post-operative patients, can be delayed, which can delay management decisions and discharge, which in turn may lower patient satisfaction. A telemedicine solution is designed, and results from a pilot test are examined to assess the benefits of incorporating an electronic discharge capability into the current process.
A Secure Remote User Authentication Protocol for Healthcare Monitoring Using Wireless Medical Sensor Networks
Authors: Chandrakar Preeti
Published: February 2021

The wireless medical sensor networks WMSN play a crucial role in healthcare monitoring remotely. In remote healthcare monitoring, the sensor nodes are deployed in patient's body for collecting physiological data and transmit these data over an insecure channel. The patient's health information is highly sensitive and important. Any malicious modification in physiological data will make wrong diagnoses and harm the patient health. Therefore, privacy, data security, and user authentication are extremely important for accessing patient's real-time heath information over an insecure channel. In this regard, this article proposes a secure and robust two-factor based remote user authentication protocol for healthcare monitoring. The authentication proof has done with the help of BAN logic, which ensures that the proposed scheme provides mutual authentication and session key agreement securely. The informal security verification proves that the developed protocol is secure from various security attacks. The simulation of the proposed scheme has been done using AVISPA tool, whose simulation results confirm that the proposed scheme is secure from active and passive attacks. Performance evaluation shows that the proposed protocol is efficient in terms of security features, computation cost, communication cost, and execution time.
Identity Concealment When Uploading Pictures of Patients in a Tele-Medicine System
Authors: Azcarraga Judith Jumig , Raduban John Zachary , Gendrano Ma. Christine , Azcarraga Arnulfo P.
Published: February 2021

Tele-medicine systems run the risk of unauthorized access to medical records, and there is greater possibility for the unlawful sharing of sensitive patient information, including children, and possibly showing their private parts. Aside from violating their right to privacy, such practices discourage patients from subjecting themselves to tele-medicine. The authors thus present an automatic identity concealment system for pictures, the way it is designed in the GetBetter tele-medicine system developed under a WHO/TDR grant. Based on open-source face- and eye-detection algorithms, identity concealment is executed by blurring the eye region of a detected face using pixel shuffling. This method is shown to be not only effective in concealing the identity of the patient, but also in preserving the exact distribution of pixel values in the image. This is useful when subsequent image processing techniques are employed, such as when identifying the type of lesions based on images of the skin.
Typology of Digital Business Models in Tourism
Authors: Zentner Helena , Spremić Mario
Published: February 2021

Digital business models are reshaping industries nowadays. This trend certainly includes the tourism and hospitality sector, where several digital business models have already gained extraordinary momentum and transformed the way business is done. There is a growing body of scholarly literature concerning individual digital business models in tourism, yet papers with comprehensive comparison of digital business models in tourism are scarce. The aim of the paper is to fill this research gap and provide a thorough overview and comparison of the most important types of digital business models in tourism. Methods used to achieve this include case studies and structured literature review supplemented with content analysis. The most important characteristics of each business model have been identified and analyzed using relevant frameworks. Further, a tourism digital business models typology has been proposed that classifies the currently prevailing digital business models in this sector into seven distinct types.
Understanding Organisational Effectiveness Through Sustainable Human Relations Approach
Authors: Das Simanchala , Acharjya Biswajit
Published: February 2021

Organisational effectiveness undoubtedly depends on well-designed human resource practices which embrace vibrant industrial relations. The relations that exist between superior and subordinates in industrial establishments are mostly contingent upon the degree of autonomy in the decision-making process. As autonomous decision making is an integral part overall empowerment strategy, the climate that fosters trust, creativity, competitiveness, and proactive problem-solving intention tend to influence the employee perception towards improved organisational effectiveness. Earlier studies have established the direct relationship between psychological empowerment and to a certain extent in combination with structural empowerment variables and organisational effectiveness in a specific context. But the present research seeks to study the role of empowerment climate as a moderating variable for the aforesaid relationship which would ultimately bring about the effectiveness in the selected industrial establishments.
Going Mobile in Journalism Education
Authors: Ayish Mohammad , Dahdal Sohail
Published: February 2021

The proliferation of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets with powerful audio-video features, image and video editing apps, and powerful sharing tools has served as catalyst for the deployment of mobile devices in both journalism education and practice around the world. A survey of mass communication students has revealed strong passion for mobile journalism as a professional career path. Respondents noted that mobile devices loaded with relevant apps carry an advantage over traditional cameras in terms of enabling video editing, mobility, and sharing when compared to standard cameras. The writers argue that mobile devices hold a huge promise for both journalism teaching and practice because of their ubiquity, mobility, multifunctionality, networkability, and professional output. On the other hand, the writers see some challenges in this area when it comes to public perceptions of professional journalism as based on ‘professionally-oriented' rather than ‘consumer-oriented' production gear and slow software enhancement by both device makers and app developers.
Participatory community-based arts for older people living with dementia in the community: how are they evaluated? A scoping review
Authors: Bazooband Azam , Courtney-Pratt Helen , Doherty Kathleen
Published: February 2021

Although the interests in participative arts for people living with a dementia has increased over the last decade, what is yet to be reviewed is how participatory community- based arts activities for this group of people are evaluated. The overall aim of the following scoping review is to understand the scope of measurement/evaluation methods/approaches used in studies that recruited participants with dementia from the community (not from health/clinical or residential aged care settings or nursing homes) and delivered community-based participatory arts activities/programs (not art therapy programs) to them. The methodological framework by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) for undertaking a scoping review article was applied to this study. Collation, summarizing and reporting the results was carried out considering the research questions. 7 articles met inclusion/exclusion criteria published from 2013 to 2020. The type of arts activities included co-designs and co-creation of various types of arts (n=1), museum visiting and art-making activities (n=4), artistic education-based program (n=1), group singing (n=1). This scoping review shed light on the paucity of research in which older people living with dementia were recruited from the community (not healthcare/clinical settings) to participate in participatory community- based art activities. Also, the results revealed that evaluation of participatory community-based arts activities for older people living with dementia in the community should include methods/techniques to get a deeper insight into the participants’ values and perspectives and the social interaction benefits of such programs.
COVID-19 vaccination concerns among elderly people in Hong Kong
Authors: Law Siukan , Leung Albert Wingnang , Xu Chuanshan
Published: February 2021

Not available
Tuberculous parotitis in an immuno-competent adult: A rare clinical entity
Authors: Jibril Yasir Nuhu , Bello-Muhammad Nafisatu , Adamu Auwal , Ajiya Abdulrazak
Published: February 2021

Majority of the cases of Tuberculosis (TB) occur in the pulmonary system, other extrapulmonary sites are rare, accounting for 15% of all TB cases. Among the extrapulmonary manifestations, TB parotitis is extremely rare, only few cases were reported in Africa despite the endemicity of the disease. We present a 23 years old man who developed a right infra-auricular swelling of three month duration, with no clinical or laboratory evidence of immunosuppression or TB in the lungs or other part of the body. High index of suspicion is required to diagnose this rare condition and the place of histological examination is imperative.
Maternal Hyperglycemia during Pregnancy Increases Adiposity of Offspring
Authors: Chung Hye Rim , Moon Joon Ho , Lim Jung Sub , Lee Young Ah , Shin Choong Ho , Hong Joon-Seok , Kwak Soo Heon , Choi Sung Hee , Jang Hak Chul
Published: February 2021

Background: The effect of intrauterine hyperglycemia on fat mass and regional fat proportion of the offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (OGDM) remains to be determined.Methods: The body composition of OGDM (n=25) and offspring of normoglycemic mothers (n=49) was compared using dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry at age 5 years. The relationship between maternal glucose concentration during a 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and regional fat mass or proportion was analyzed after adjusting for maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI).Results: BMI was comparable between OGDM and control (median, 16.0 kg/m2 vs. 16.1 kg/m2 ). Total, truncal, and leg fat mass were higher in OGDM compared with control (3,769 g vs. 2,245 g, P=0.004; 1,289 g vs. 870 g, P=0.017; 1,638 g vs. 961 g, P=0.002, respectively), whereas total lean mass was lower in OGDM (15,688 g vs. 16,941 g, P=0.001). Among OGDM, total and truncal fat mass were correlated with fasting and 3-hour glucose concentrations of maternal 100 g OGTT during pregnancy (total fat mass, r=0.49, P=0.018 [fasting], r=0.473, P=0.023 [3-hour]; truncal fat mass, r=0.571, P=0.004 [fasting], r=0.558, P=0.006 [3-hour]), but there was no correlation between OGDM leg fat mass and maternal OGTT during pregnancy. Regional fat indices were not correlated with concurrent maternal 75 g OGTT values.Conclusion: Intrauterine hyperglycemia is associated with increased fat mass, especially truncal fat, in OGDM aged 5 years.
Intestinal parasites among primary and secondary school children of Egor Local Government Area, Edo State
Authors: Omoruyi Z. , Onimisi Q.Z.
Published: February 2021

The study was carried out to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among school children of Egor Local Government Area, Edo State. The correlation between their various activities like source of water, type of toilet, method of washing hands with the infection were examined. 250 stool samples of participants consisting of 111 males and 139 females were examined using the formol-ether concentration method. Questionnaires were administered to the children to collect information on Sociodemographic activities. The overall prevalence rate of the various parasitic infections was 16(6.4%), with 6(5.4%) prevalence rate of infection among males and 10(7.2%) among the females. From the study, the age group of 10-13 years old have high rate of infection 13(9.8%) followed by 6-9years old 3(4.4%).Sex did not (p<0.05) significantly affect the pattern of infection (P>0.05) but age affected it significantly The children with Ascaris lumbricoides recorded the highest prevalence rate of 6(2.4%), followed by Hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale) infection 3(1.2%); Enterobius vermicularis 2(0.8%); Entamoeba coli 2(0.8%); Schistosoma japonicum 1(0.4%); Strongyloides stercoralis 1(0.4%) and Round worm 1(0.4%). The results further support public education on good personal hygiene and the dangers of open defeacation in fields and water ways.
Comparative study of antibacterial activities of fruits of Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich and bulb of Crinum jagus (Thompson) dandy
Authors: Obajuluwa A.F. , Durowaiye M.T.
Published: February 2021

Xylopia aethiopica and Crinum jagus are medicinal plants which had been used traditionally for various ailments such as cough, amenorrhea, stomach ache and urinary ailments. The aim of this study was to compare the antibacterial activities of the ethanolic extracts of fruits of X. aethiopica with ethanolic extracts of bulb of C. jagus. Agar well diffusion method was used against the following organisms: K. pneumonia, E. coli, Ps. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and B. subtilis. Both plant extracts demonstrated concentration dependent activities against all the bacteria tested. Fruits of X. aethiopica was observed to be more active against S. aureus while bulb of C. jagus showed greater activities against E. coli, K. pneumonia and Ps. aeruginosa. The two plant extracts showed almost the same level of activity against B. subtilis. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tanins and cardiac glycosides in X. aethiopica which were absent in C. jagus. In conclusion X. aethiopica showed greater activity against Grampositive bacteria while C. jagus was more active against Gram-negative bacteria.
Correlation of nosocomial infection with prolonged hospital stay in Kano Nigeria
Authors: Alkali B. , Agwu E. , Sarkinfada F. , Idris A.M. , Mada S.B.
Published: February 2021

Nosocomial infections or Health Care prolonged hospital stay and has been implicated in increase in socio-economic disturbance, long term disability, and increased mortality rate. There is paucity information on the burden of HCAIs because of poorly developed surveillance systems and inexistent control methods. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of nosocomial infection due to prolonged hospital stay in selected tertiary hospitals of Kano metropolis. Retrospective data  were collected from three hospitals with a total number of admitted patients and the number of prolonged hospital stays during the month of study. A total of 401 clinical samples collected from patients admitted for ≥14 days and the age of ≥18 years from all study sites. Examples include wound swabs, urine samples, urine catheters, and nasal intubation. All the samples were processed by the standard bacteriological laboratory procedure of the Clinical laboratory standard institute. The results showed that the percentage of prolonged hospital stay in Kano 40.34%, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital (MMSH) 50.54% with the least at Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist (MAWSH) 28.91%. Age served as significant factors for acquired HCAIs; participants aged were 41- 70 years have a higher prevalence of nosocomial infections. From 138 positive isolates observed, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital (MMSH) has height nosocomial infection of 41.4%, with the least Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) has 29%. Among the Site of infection, 34.8% isolates were wounds Swabs (SSIs), urine (UTI) 31.2%, an least was nasal intubation 11.6%. Among pathogens isolated E. coli is the most prominent organism with 26.1% and the least Streptococcus pyogenes (7.9%). This study showed that the prevalence of Prolong hospital stay in Kano was 40.34%, AKTH 39.53% and MAWSH 28.91%. The prevalence of nosocomial infection was 34.3%. Gram-negative  bacteria were the predominant isolates.
Kinetics of adsorption of methylene blue onto activated kolanut pod
Authors: Muhammad A.S. , Abdurrahman M.A.
Published: February 2021

A batch adsorption process was carried out by optimizing, the effect of contact time (10min to 180min) and initial concentration (5mg/l to150mg/l). The adsorbent was characterized using FTIR spectra and SEM, and the result obtained showed shifting and disappearance of peaks after adsorption. The results of the adsorption kinetics, which includes the correlation coefficient 0.9771 and the agreement between the amount adsorbed experimentally (1.472mg/g) and the calculated amount absorbed(1.196mg/g) revealed that MB was adsorbed satisfactory according to the pseudo second-order kinetic model.
Body composition in children with cerebral palsy and its relationship with dynamic muscle strength, balance and energy cost of ambulation
Authors: Badaru U.M. , Dabo L.S. , Nuhu J.H. , Ahmad R.Y. , Abba M.A. , Shittu A.
Published: February 2021

Cerebral palsy (CP) causes walking disability in children which could lead to profound changes in body composition. This study assessed relationship between body composition and each of dynamic muscle strength, mobility and energy cost of ambulation (ECA) among children with CP. The cross sectional survey, recruited participants from a secondary and a tertiary hospitals in Kano. Body composition was assessed with BMI for age charts and skin fold calipher. Dynamic muscle strength, balance and ECA were assessed with step-up test, time-up-and-go test and physiological cost index respectively. Data was analysed with Pearson Product Moment Correlation and unpaired t test at alpha level of P<0.05 using SPSS version 20 and Microsof excel. Twenty four children took part in the study, 13 (54.2%) females and 11(45.8%) males. Their mean age was 10.0 ± 4.6 years. Majority of them 17 (70.8%) were underweight. The mean percent body fat score was 11.78±3.85, with females having significantly higher amount of body fat than males (t=-3.37; P=0.003). There were no significant correlations between body compositon and each of dynamic muscle strength, balance and ECA (p>0.05). It was concluded that about two-thirds of the children with CP in the study are underweight and having low percent body fat. Body composition may not have significant influence on the muscle strength, stability and the energy expended during walking function. Paediatricians and physiotherapists should encourage caregivers of children with CP to feed them with balanced diet in order to avoid diseases associated with malnutrition.
Prevalence and pattern of paediatric neurological disorders managed in outpatient physiotherapy clinics in Kano
Authors: Badaru U.M. , Ma'aruf I.S. , Ahmad R.Y. , Lawal I.U. , Usman J.S.
Published: February 2021

Neurological disorders are among the major causes of physical disability in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and pattern of Paediatric Neurological Disorders (PNDs) managed in outpatient Physiotherapy clinics in Kano. The 10-year retrospective descriptive study collected relevant data on PNDs from case files of the children who have been managed in Physiotherapy clinics of the 5 major referral hospitals in Kano using a data capture form. The population of children in Kano State based on the 2006 Census and the projected population for 2017 was obtained from the National Population Commission, Kano State office. The data obtained was analysed with descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage. Dataanalysis was done using Microsoft excel and SPSS version 20. Results showed that 1927paediatric cases were analysed out of which PNDs accounted for 1618 (83.96%). The mean age of the children at the time of their first treatment visit was 3.13 years ± 3.04years (range =33days-12years). Most of the children with PNDs are males 1101(57.1%), with male to female ratio of 1.3:1. The Prevalence of PNDs in Kano was 0.257/1000 (i.e.25.7/100,000). The most common PND that was managed by physiotherapists in KanoState was cerebral palsy which has a prevalence of 0.106/1000 (i.e.10.6/100,000),(proportion = 41.16%). It was concluded that PNDs are the most common paediatric cases managed by physiotherapists in Kano State with cerebral palsy having higherprevalence
Effect of beneficiation of Harin-Hamza Futuk bentonite for drilling fluid formulation
Authors: Bilal S. , Mohammed-Dabo I.A. , Muhammad J.A. , Shuwa S.M.
Published: February 2021

This research focused on beneficiation and characterization of raw Garin Hamza Futuk (GHF) Bentonite for oil and gas drilling fluid formulation. The FTIR results confirmed that GHF bentonitic clay is rich in montmorillonite mineral noticed at approximately 3620-3630cm-1 stretching band in the higher frequency level. In the lower frequency region, montmorillonite had a strong band at 1024.24 and 1028.09 cm-1 for Sivibration of layered silicates.The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results showed slight reduction in free silica (Quartz) by about 1%. The SEM images of the beneficiated samples were more dispersed than the raw sample with some large flocs structure confirming their montmorillonitic nature. The optimum amount of poly anionic cellulose (PAC)used for instant drilling fluid formulation was found to be at 2.0 g, while the aged formulation was achieved at 0.8g PAC when compared with the API grade. Hence, GHF bentonite can be used for drilling fluid formulation.
Compost making from refuse sourced from Kano Metropolitan, Kano State, Nigeria
Authors: Yola I.A. , Diso I.S.
Published: February 2021

Municipal-solid waste (MSW) in towns and cities of Nigeria are either allowed to rot or burnt which causes the release of greenhouse gases in the process. The heap of uncollected refuse in Kano municipal causes serious health hazards and menacing public disorder. This research investigated the Kano municipal refuse for compost making, instead of using waste disposal technique such as landfilling. Refuse samples from Dorayi/Zage and Rimin Kira refuse dumping sites Kano Municipal, Kano State Nigeria were collected. The refuse samples were sorted and all the non-biodegradables materials were removed. A compost was made from Sample N in 20 days while 9 days was required to produce a compost from sample P. Kjeldahl Nitrogen determination method and simple procedure for total carbon determination method were used to determine the percentages of nitrogen and carbon in the samples. The results have shown that, the percentages of nitrogen in the samples were found to be 1.64% for sample N and 1.71% for sample P. The percentages of carbon in the samples are 6.8% for sample N and 6.3% for sample P. The C/N ratio for sample N was 4.15:1 and that of sample P was 3.69:1.Kano municipal refuse contains a lot of organic wastes which are very difficult to incinerate. Therefore, Composting method is the best option for the disposal of the refuse rather than directly dumped in the streets.
Information Culture, Work Environment and Employee Job Performance in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, Nigeria
Authors: Odulana Oyinkansola A. , Haliso Yacob , Okoro Obinna J.
Published: February 2021

This study examined the influence of information culture and work environment on employee job performance in Lagos state internal revenue service. A validated survey instrument was tested on 210 employees in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and showed that information culture positively influenced employee job performance. (R = 0.676; R2 = 0.458; Adj R2 = 0.455; F (1, 190) = 160.43; Sig. = 0.000). Work environment positively influenced employee performance. (R = 0.488; R2 = 0.238; Adj R2 = 0.234; F (1, 190) = 59.53; Sig. = 0.000). The results further reveled that information culture and work environment both have positive influence on employee performance. (R = 0. 691; R2 = 0.477; Adjusted-R2 = 0.472; F (2, 189) = 86.40; Sig. = 0.000)The study concluded that information culture and work environment plays an important role in enhancing employee job performance in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. The study recommended that Information culture and good working environment should be maintained in the organization.

Keywords:  Employee Job Performance, Information Culture, Work Environment, Internal Revenue Service
Perception of Children’s Reading with Literature and Audio Visual Materials in the Public Library
Authors: Osuchukwu Ngozi Perpetual
Published: February 2021

This study examined the perception of children on reading, the audiovisual materials available for children in the public library, kinds of literature children love most, challenges inhibiting children from coming to the library, the lessons learnt and the implications of the findings. The survey took place in the children‘s department of the divisional library with twenty two (22) children who are registered members of the library. There were four (4) engagements with children using children‘s literature and audiovisual materials in reading. The instruments used were reading inventory, literature, focus group discussion (FGD) and observation technique. The study found out that the participants loved reading. While 20 participants loved books with pictures, 2 refuted the idea. The challenges revealed that the library is far from their residence, among others. It was recommended that more advocacies should be done to schools for more attendance to children‘s reading while more audiovisual materials should be provided for meaningful learning. The implication is that if children are not inspired with new reading facilities, their interest will wane which will affect academic and knowledge. With this, the national development will never be actualized because these children are the progressive population for resilient cities and communities.

Keywords: Audio visual, Children Literature, Public Library, Reading Resources