Background:This study examined the determinants of loan repayment among microcredit finance group members in Delta State,Nigeria.Methods:To capture the determinants of loan repayment in the study area,a total of 48 mi...Background:This study examined the determinants of loan repayment among microcredit finance group members in Delta State,Nigeria.Methods:To capture the determinants of loan repayment in the study area,a total of 48 microcredit groups and 300 microcredit group members were randomly selected through a multi-stage random sampling technique.The study data was collected by questionnaire.Statistical tools such as simple descriptive statistics(table,frequency,percentage and mean)and a multiple regression analysis were used to examine the data.Results:The results indicate that females form a greater proportion of the study area microcredit group members at 70%,moreover 73%of the respondents have a household size of between 6 to 10 persons.These findings revealed that the groups had a mean 8 years of existence with a mean membership size of 13 persons.Further,an average interest rate of 40 percent per annum was charged on loans,with mean loan duration of 6 months.The regression’s result demonstrated that the determinants of the group member’s loan repayment included the group member’s age,household size,house income,and educational level,the amount of credit received,length of stay in their locality,distance to the credit source,supervision and disbursement lag.Conclusion:Therefore it was suggested that the various agricultural microcredit finance groups should carefully examine the significant determinants of loan repayment for the approach’s viability and sustainability and for optimum repayment performance.展开更多
Sound pond productivity accompanied with adequate fish health is maintained, when water quality parameters are conducive. The study evaluated the chemical composition of a pond feed from spring water, in Asaba Campus....Sound pond productivity accompanied with adequate fish health is maintained, when water quality parameters are conducive. The study evaluated the chemical composition of a pond feed from spring water, in Asaba Campus. Sampling was carried out from September 2011 to February 2012 on a monthly basis. Surface water samples were collected between the hours of 7：00-9：00 am from the pond on each sampling day. Hydrogen-ion-concentration was in the range of 6.5 to 8.0 units. Dissolved oxygen was the highest in February 2012 with a value of 11.0 mg/L while it was the lowest in December 2011 with a value of 9.0 mg/L. Biological oxygen demand ranged from 3.5 to 5.0 mg/L. The chemical oxygen demand was the highest in December （10.00 mg/L） and lowest between January and February （8.0mg/L）. The highest alkalinity was observed in October with a value of 1.05 mg/L and lowest in December with a value of 0.042 mg/L. Conductivity values ranged from 0.075 to 0.12 μS/cm. Total phosphorus was the highest in October with a value of 1.01 mg/L and lowest in December with a value of 0.83 mg/L. Total dissolved solids ranged from 90 to 105 mg/L. Values of physco-chemical parameters revealed that the pond was not polluted. Water quality analysis of the aquatics is of economic advantage to the fish farmer, hence, the need for its assessment at regular intervals. This is a quality assurance process that assures early dictation of toxic substances and mitigation processes to adopt before problems arise. In this way, the good health of organisms in the aquatic ecosystem and those of human dependent on them are guaranteed.展开更多
This paper examines the perception of adolescents on the attitudes of providers on their access and use of reproductive health services (ARHS) in Delta State, Nigeria, with a view of assessing the impact of providers...This paper examines the perception of adolescents on the attitudes of providers on their access and use of reproductive health services (ARHS) in Delta State, Nigeria, with a view of assessing the impact of providers’ attitude on the use of adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State. The study adopted a survey design to collect primary data using questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs) from adolescents in a sample of schools. A sample size of 1500 respondents was taken from 12 schools in six Local Government Areas in three Senatorial Districts in Delta State, Nigeria. The locations of the schools were such that six each were in rural and urban communities respectively. The result from the study was that unfriendly attitudes of providers which keep adolescents waiting, inadequate duration of consultations, judgmental attitudes of some providers, lack of satisfactory services provision and lack of confidentiality will put off adolescents from accessing and using adolescents’ reproductive health services irrespective of their sex, age, class, religion, residence, ethnic group, parents’ education or income levels. The paper concludes that medical personnel take all these issues very seriously when dealing with adolescents to enhance access and use adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State and indeed Nigeria.展开更多
Aim: The study aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection and its associated risk factors in a cross-section of asymptomatic adult population in Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Methodology: 408 apparently hea...Aim: The study aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection and its associated risk factors in a cross-section of asymptomatic adult population in Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Methodology: 408 apparently healthy volunteers, aged between 18 - 87 years were recruited for this study. Blood samples were collected from participants and analyzed for H. pylori antibody (IgG) qualitatively with Combo rapid kits and quantitatively with Accu-Bind ELISA Kits. Results: The overall prevalence of Helicobacter pylori colonization in 408 asymptomatic adults was 52.5% (n = 214) and 48.3% (n = 197) by qualitative (Combo rapid kits) and quantitative (Accu-Bind ELISA Kits) serological test methods respectively. H. pylori infection did not differ statistically between genders (p = 0.962) and among age groups (p = 0.185). In addition, multivariate logistic regression indicated that sex and age were not associated with risk of H. pylori. However, participants from Delta Central were at greater risk (OR = 1.89;p = 0.014) of H. pylori infection compared with those from Delta South, but those from Delta North were not at greater risk of infection compared with those from Delta South (p = 0.476). Conclusion: This study indicated an intermediate seroprevalence of H. pylori among asymptomatic adults in Delta state, Nigeria. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was linked to geographical regions but not with sex and age.展开更多
Background: The knowledge of good oral hygiene is of paramount importance for the technical knowhow to keep one’s mouth clean and free from periodontal diseases. Thus, one’s attitude towards oral hygiene directly af...Background: The knowledge of good oral hygiene is of paramount importance for the technical knowhow to keep one’s mouth clean and free from periodontal diseases. Thus, one’s attitude towards oral hygiene directly affects the oral health status. Aims: The study aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices among medical practitioners in Delta State, Nigeria. The research also aimed at determining the effect of sex on knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices. Methodology: This study was an observational cross sectional study. Purposive sampling technique was employed. A total of a hundred and twenty-three health care providers were assessed with a structured questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics and Research Committee in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 package. Descriptive statistics was analyzed using simple frequency percentages distribution and association between categorical variables and sex was done using a chi-square test. Significance was accepted at p Result: Findings from the study present 76.0% males and 24.0% females in the studied population. Five categories of health care providers were assessed, 63.0% of respondents were medical officers, 21.0% were consultants, and 10.0% were residents, while 6.0% were house officers. The results showed that 43.9% of the participants brushed their teeth once daily, 54.5% twice daily while 1.6% thrice daily. Respondents were asked the last time they visited a dentist. Out of the 123 participants, 37.4% never visited, 20.3% claimed six months ago, 13.0% visited a year ago, 10.6% two years ago and 19.40% visited more than two years ago. It also shows percentage distribution of variant types of last treatment, 19.5% had extraction, 10.6% had filling, and 33.3% had scaling and polishing while 36.6% had other types of dental treatment. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents (93.5%) had a positive attitude towards oral health. A total of 91.9% of the participants had knowledge of oral hygiene, while 8.1% had no idea of oral hygiene. More than half of the respondent (57.2%) agreed and strongly agreed that oral hygiene knowledge in medical schools was adequate while 35.0% disagreed and strongly disagreed. There was no significant association (p > 0.05) between frequency of daily teeth brushing, last dental visit, variant treatments and sex. Conclusion: Findings from this study showed that the majority of the participants had an adequate knowledge on proper oral hygiene care and they had a positive attitude towards oral health. Being health care providers, the adequate knowledge and positive attitude could have a positive impact on the patients.展开更多
The state feedback design for singularly perturbed systems described in Delta operator is considered. The composite state feedback controller for slow and fast subsystems is designed by using the direct method. The ob...The state feedback design for singularly perturbed systems described in Delta operator is considered. The composite state feedback controller for slow and fast subsystems is designed by using the direct method. The obtained results can bring previous conclusions of continuous and discrete time systems into the unified Delta framework. A simulation example is presented to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the design.展开更多
The synthesis process for La 1- x Sr x Mn 1- y Co y O 3- δ ( x = 0.2, 0.3; y = 0.2, 0.8, designated as LSMC below) perovskite oxides prepared by solid state reaction was investigated using DSC/TG, XRD, EPMA and parti...The synthesis process for La 1- x Sr x Mn 1- y Co y O 3- δ ( x = 0.2, 0.3; y = 0.2, 0.8, designated as LSMC below) perovskite oxides prepared by solid state reaction was investigated using DSC/TG, XRD, EPMA and particle size analysis methods. It was found that LSMCs were all of single phase and the synthesis process might be divided into three stages: the decomposition of reactants, the formation of LaMn(Co)O 3 based oxides, and the formation of LSMC solid solution. Typical average and the peak value of particle size, and the specific surface area are 14.65?μm, 16.4?μm and 1.38?m 2/mL, respectively, for mixed reactants and are 23.81?μm, 32.11?μm and 0.5?m 2/mL, respectively, for powder synthesized at 1?200?℃ for 8?h in air.展开更多
Although the advanced 3-dimensional structure measurements provide more and more detailed structures in Protein Data Bank, the simplest 2-dimensional lattice model still looks meaningful because 2-dimensional structur...Although the advanced 3-dimensional structure measurements provide more and more detailed structures in Protein Data Bank, the simplest 2-dimensional lattice model still looks meaningful because 2-dimensional structures play a complementary role with respect to 3-dimensional structures. In this study, the folding structures of delta-hemolysin and its six variants were studied at 2-dimensional lattice, and their amino acid contacts in folding structures were considered according to HP model with the aid of normalized amino acid hydrophobicity index. The results showed that: 1) either delta-hemolysin or each of its variants could find any of its folding structure in one eighth of 1,129,718,145,924 folding structures because of symmetry, which reduces the time required for folding, 2) the impact of pH on folding structures is varying and associated directly with the amino acid sequence itself, 3) the changes in folding structures of variants appeared different case by case, and 4) the assigning of hydrophobicity index to each amino acid was a way to distinguish folding structures at the same native state. This study can help to understand the structure of delta-hemolysin, and such an analysis can shed lights on NP-problem listed in millennium prize because the HP folding in lattice belongs to a sub-problem of NP-problem.展开更多
文摘Background:This study examined the determinants of loan repayment among microcredit finance group members in Delta State,Nigeria.Methods:To capture the determinants of loan repayment in the study area,a total of 48 microcredit groups and 300 microcredit group members were randomly selected through a multi-stage random sampling technique.The study data was collected by questionnaire.Statistical tools such as simple descriptive statistics(table,frequency,percentage and mean)and a multiple regression analysis were used to examine the data.Results:The results indicate that females form a greater proportion of the study area microcredit group members at 70%,moreover 73%of the respondents have a household size of between 6 to 10 persons.These findings revealed that the groups had a mean 8 years of existence with a mean membership size of 13 persons.Further,an average interest rate of 40 percent per annum was charged on loans,with mean loan duration of 6 months.The regression’s result demonstrated that the determinants of the group member’s loan repayment included the group member’s age,household size,house income,and educational level,the amount of credit received,length of stay in their locality,distance to the credit source,supervision and disbursement lag.Conclusion:Therefore it was suggested that the various agricultural microcredit finance groups should carefully examine the significant determinants of loan repayment for the approach’s viability and sustainability and for optimum repayment performance.
文摘Sound pond productivity accompanied with adequate fish health is maintained, when water quality parameters are conducive. The study evaluated the chemical composition of a pond feed from spring water, in Asaba Campus. Sampling was carried out from September 2011 to February 2012 on a monthly basis. Surface water samples were collected between the hours of 7：00-9：00 am from the pond on each sampling day. Hydrogen-ion-concentration was in the range of 6.5 to 8.0 units. Dissolved oxygen was the highest in February 2012 with a value of 11.0 mg/L while it was the lowest in December 2011 with a value of 9.0 mg/L. Biological oxygen demand ranged from 3.5 to 5.0 mg/L. The chemical oxygen demand was the highest in December （10.00 mg/L） and lowest between January and February （8.0mg/L）. The highest alkalinity was observed in October with a value of 1.05 mg/L and lowest in December with a value of 0.042 mg/L. Conductivity values ranged from 0.075 to 0.12 μS/cm. Total phosphorus was the highest in October with a value of 1.01 mg/L and lowest in December with a value of 0.83 mg/L. Total dissolved solids ranged from 90 to 105 mg/L. Values of physco-chemical parameters revealed that the pond was not polluted. Water quality analysis of the aquatics is of economic advantage to the fish farmer, hence, the need for its assessment at regular intervals. This is a quality assurance process that assures early dictation of toxic substances and mitigation processes to adopt before problems arise. In this way, the good health of organisms in the aquatic ecosystem and those of human dependent on them are guaranteed.
文摘This paper examines the perception of adolescents on the attitudes of providers on their access and use of reproductive health services (ARHS) in Delta State, Nigeria, with a view of assessing the impact of providers’ attitude on the use of adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State. The study adopted a survey design to collect primary data using questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs) from adolescents in a sample of schools. A sample size of 1500 respondents was taken from 12 schools in six Local Government Areas in three Senatorial Districts in Delta State, Nigeria. The locations of the schools were such that six each were in rural and urban communities respectively. The result from the study was that unfriendly attitudes of providers which keep adolescents waiting, inadequate duration of consultations, judgmental attitudes of some providers, lack of satisfactory services provision and lack of confidentiality will put off adolescents from accessing and using adolescents’ reproductive health services irrespective of their sex, age, class, religion, residence, ethnic group, parents’ education or income levels. The paper concludes that medical personnel take all these issues very seriously when dealing with adolescents to enhance access and use adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State and indeed Nigeria.
文摘Aim: The study aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection and its associated risk factors in a cross-section of asymptomatic adult population in Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Methodology: 408 apparently healthy volunteers, aged between 18 - 87 years were recruited for this study. Blood samples were collected from participants and analyzed for H. pylori antibody (IgG) qualitatively with Combo rapid kits and quantitatively with Accu-Bind ELISA Kits. Results: The overall prevalence of Helicobacter pylori colonization in 408 asymptomatic adults was 52.5% (n = 214) and 48.3% (n = 197) by qualitative (Combo rapid kits) and quantitative (Accu-Bind ELISA Kits) serological test methods respectively. H. pylori infection did not differ statistically between genders (p = 0.962) and among age groups (p = 0.185). In addition, multivariate logistic regression indicated that sex and age were not associated with risk of H. pylori. However, participants from Delta Central were at greater risk (OR = 1.89;p = 0.014) of H. pylori infection compared with those from Delta South, but those from Delta North were not at greater risk of infection compared with those from Delta South (p = 0.476). Conclusion: This study indicated an intermediate seroprevalence of H. pylori among asymptomatic adults in Delta state, Nigeria. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was linked to geographical regions but not with sex and age.
文摘Background: The knowledge of good oral hygiene is of paramount importance for the technical knowhow to keep one’s mouth clean and free from periodontal diseases. Thus, one’s attitude towards oral hygiene directly affects the oral health status. Aims: The study aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices among medical practitioners in Delta State, Nigeria. The research also aimed at determining the effect of sex on knowledge, attitude and oral hygiene practices. Methodology: This study was an observational cross sectional study. Purposive sampling technique was employed. A total of a hundred and twenty-three health care providers were assessed with a structured questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics and Research Committee in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 18.0 package. Descriptive statistics was analyzed using simple frequency percentages distribution and association between categorical variables and sex was done using a chi-square test. Significance was accepted at p Result: Findings from the study present 76.0% males and 24.0% females in the studied population. Five categories of health care providers were assessed, 63.0% of respondents were medical officers, 21.0% were consultants, and 10.0% were residents, while 6.0% were house officers. The results showed that 43.9% of the participants brushed their teeth once daily, 54.5% twice daily while 1.6% thrice daily. Respondents were asked the last time they visited a dentist. Out of the 123 participants, 37.4% never visited, 20.3% claimed six months ago, 13.0% visited a year ago, 10.6% two years ago and 19.40% visited more than two years ago. It also shows percentage distribution of variant types of last treatment, 19.5% had extraction, 10.6% had filling, and 33.3% had scaling and polishing while 36.6% had other types of dental treatment. The study revealed that the majority of the respondents (93.5%) had a positive attitude towards oral health. A total of 91.9% of the participants had knowledge of oral hygiene, while 8.1% had no idea of oral hygiene. More than half of the respondent (57.2%) agreed and strongly agreed that oral hygiene knowledge in medical schools was adequate while 35.0% disagreed and strongly disagreed. There was no significant association (p > 0.05) between frequency of daily teeth brushing, last dental visit, variant treatments and sex. Conclusion: Findings from this study showed that the majority of the participants had an adequate knowledge on proper oral hygiene care and they had a positive attitude towards oral health. Being health care providers, the adequate knowledge and positive attitude could have a positive impact on the patients.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60474078,60304001).
文摘The state feedback design for singularly perturbed systems described in Delta operator is considered. The composite state feedback controller for slow and fast subsystems is designed by using the direct method. The obtained results can bring previous conclusions of continuous and discrete time systems into the unified Delta framework. A simulation example is presented to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the design.
文摘The synthesis process for La 1- x Sr x Mn 1- y Co y O 3- δ ( x = 0.2, 0.3; y = 0.2, 0.8, designated as LSMC below) perovskite oxides prepared by solid state reaction was investigated using DSC/TG, XRD, EPMA and particle size analysis methods. It was found that LSMCs were all of single phase and the synthesis process might be divided into three stages: the decomposition of reactants, the formation of LaMn(Co)O 3 based oxides, and the formation of LSMC solid solution. Typical average and the peak value of particle size, and the specific surface area are 14.65?μm, 16.4?μm and 1.38?m 2/mL, respectively, for mixed reactants and are 23.81?μm, 32.11?μm and 0.5?m 2/mL, respectively, for powder synthesized at 1?200?℃ for 8?h in air.
文摘Although the advanced 3-dimensional structure measurements provide more and more detailed structures in Protein Data Bank, the simplest 2-dimensional lattice model still looks meaningful because 2-dimensional structures play a complementary role with respect to 3-dimensional structures. In this study, the folding structures of delta-hemolysin and its six variants were studied at 2-dimensional lattice, and their amino acid contacts in folding structures were considered according to HP model with the aid of normalized amino acid hydrophobicity index. The results showed that: 1) either delta-hemolysin or each of its variants could find any of its folding structure in one eighth of 1,129,718,145,924 folding structures because of symmetry, which reduces the time required for folding, 2) the impact of pH on folding structures is varying and associated directly with the amino acid sequence itself, 3) the changes in folding structures of variants appeared different case by case, and 4) the assigning of hydrophobicity index to each amino acid was a way to distinguish folding structures at the same native state. This study can help to understand the structure of delta-hemolysin, and such an analysis can shed lights on NP-problem listed in millennium prize because the HP folding in lattice belongs to a sub-problem of NP-problem.
