Management of crisis of COVID-19 by the council for regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Benin City, using six sigma project management approach

Effective project management style is extremely important for managing crisis and this strongly contributes to the success of an organization such as COREN. The objective of this study is to assess the management crisis of COVID- 19 by the council for regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Benin City, Nigeria using six sigma project management approach with the triangulation design of two phases, Phase 1 using quantitative analysis, descriptive statistics while phase 2 used the qualitative analysis. Final results collected from the merger of phase 1 and phase 2 showed a T-test value of -37.523 at P value significant of 0.000 obtained for understanding project management as it relates to crisis management during times of extraordinary crisis in the model and was less than 5% level of significance indicating that there is a significant relationship between Understanding project management as it relates to crisis management to aid organizations in working effectively during times of extraordinary crisis. Process performance was improved to address the root cause of poor crisis management using six sigma styles with 68 % strongly agreeing that proper planning will provide an efficient medium. A one sample T test result of -42.547, with a 95% confidence interval of the difference at a lower value of -1.99 and an upper value of -1.81, showed that the model is reliable with absence of serial auto correlation. A standard deviation of 0.309 showed that 1% increase in proper understanding of project management styles (six sigma) activities results in 30.9% decrease in crisis such as COVID19. Hence using the six sigma style of managing extraordinary crisis has proved to sustain managing crisis and strongly contributes to the success of organizations such as COREN.

Online-Based Hotel Information System

As with many occupations, computers and technology have become vital parts of working life. With hotel management, computers can be used to record, report and analyze the effectiveness of internal operations such as reservations, registration, guest history, guest accounting audit, and back-office accounting, thereby bringing a variety of benefits including ample amount of memory, advanced communication, advanced functioning among others. In view of these, this study design and develop an online-based hotel information system for University of Benin Guest House, Benin City, Edo State. The system is met to automate data entry methods; ensure efficient and reliable communication within the Guest House and enable fast and easy retrieval of guest records and data for fast reference activities. The Unified Modelling Language (UML) was used to model the system architecture and design, while the software was developed using PHP and MySQL. Also provided in this report is a description of the software design and implementation requirements.

The micronutrient status of some soil supporting oil palm plantationin Nifor, Benin City, Benin

This study was conducted to assess the micronutrient status of soils under three different management practices at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from three different fields Research (NIFOR), Benin City, Edo with different management practices. The samples were air dried and analyzed for Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn contents using standard method. Data was subjected to ANOVA and correlation studies. Result showed that soil micronutrient status was generally low as revealed by their estimated levels of availability: field 53 (Mn = 0.0333; Zn = 3.723; Cu = 2.04; Fe = 6.4), field 56 (Mn = 0.0367; Zn = 3.737; Cu = 1.12; Fe = 7.0939), field 71 (Mn = 0.0167; Zn = 3.860; Cu = 2.89; Fe = 7.243). Fe and Zn were above critical level for the 3 fields. Mn was below the critical level for the 3 fields and was significantly higher in field 56 (Orlu and Kulfo series) (p≤ 0.05). They were all similar. Fe was significantly different in field 53 (Kulfo and Alagba series) but similar in fields 56 and 71 (p≤ 0.05). Cu was significantly different in the 3 fields tested with field 71 (Orlu and Alagba series) higher than the critical level. Correlation studies showed that pH had a positive and significant correlation with Fe and Zn as observed in fields 71 and 56 (r = 0.9934, P≤ 0.05) and (r = 0.9997, P ≤ 0.05) respectively. Cu was the only micronutrient that has correlation with clay on each of the fields: 53, 56 and 71 (r = 0.9929, P≤0.05) (r = 0.9988, P≤ 0.05) and (r = 0.9967, P ≤ 0.05) respectively. Strong correlation existed between clay and Fe in field 53 (r = 1, P≤ 0.05). The concentration of the micronutrients (Fe, Mn,Zn Cu), in field 53 were not extreme (neither the highest nor lowest) when comparing the three fields indicating that BMP (Best Management Practice) may be the best for maintaining good micronutrient level in soils supporting oil palm. Fields 53 and 56 is adequate in Fe and Zn but not adequate in Mn and Cu while field 71 was adequate in Zn, Fe, and Cu but not in Mn. Based on the result of this experiment, adequate fertilizers of these micronutrients as their respective sulphates or impurities should be added to maintain proper micronutrient level.

KNOWLEDGE OF MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF SPHYGMOMANOMETERS IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN BENIN CITY

Nosocomial infections are infections that patients acquire while receiving treatment for other health conditions within a healthcare setting or facility. This study aims to determine the level of awareness of healthcare providers on the role sphygmomanometers play in the spread of nosocomial infections and to isolate microorganisms in sphygmomanometer cuffs used in healthcare facilities. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was designed and administered to healthcare practitioners of two tertiary hospitals and community pharmacies in Benin City. Microbial contamination of sphygmomanometer cuffs was investigated following the standard isolation and identification techniques for microorganisms. A total of 217 responded; 27.2% pharmacists, 33.2% doctors and 39.6% nurses. The majority (50.2%) were between the ages of 20 – 30 years. 65.4% were females and 51.6% were single. Ninety-four percent (94%) of the total respondents said that microorganisms are present in the inner cuffs of sphygmomanometers, 76% said microorganisms on the cuffs are sources of nosocomial infections while 80.6% said patients can be infected with the use of sphygmomanometers. A total of 192 swabbed samples were collected from 64 cuffs in the healthcare facilities, 46.5% were bacteria and 53.5% fungi. The most isolated organisms were candida species 42(21%), Staphylococcus aureus 41(20.5% of which 28(68.3%) were methicillin resistant.), Mucor 34(17%), Aspergillus species 23(11.5%). Ninety four percent (94%) of respondents had good knowledge that blood pressure cuffs play a role in the spread of nosocomial infections. The sphygmomanometer cuffs were contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms implicated in nosocomial infections.

Assessment of Vehicular-Induced Emissions in some Selected Areas in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Vehicular emission is a major environmental health problem in the world today especially in developing countries including Nigeria. This study was centered on assessing the vehicular emissions pollutants such as Carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S), Formaldehyde (HCHO) and Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The sampling of the CO and H2S gaseous pollutants was done using H-4S gas analyzer while JCG60 gas detector was used to measure TVOC and HCHO. The meteorological parameters were measured with HTC-1 hygrometer thermometer. AQI was calculated to determine the status of the ambient air quality of the study areas. Carbon monoxide concentration obtained from the result ranges from 3.12-16.1 ppm with location C having the highest amount of 16.1 ppm which exceeds the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) standard of 10 ppm. The calculated AQI shows that the study areas are all polluted. Continuous measurement and inventory of air pollutants should be encouraged, as this will enable the policymakers to effectively implement control measures on air pollution.

Variations in phenotypic characteristics of Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp. seeds sourced from open markets in Benin City, Nigeria.

Vigna unguiculata, also known as a 'cowpea,' is a crop of numerous varieties. In Benin City, Nigeria, three common varieties include "Ife Brown", "Ekpoma Local", and "Sokoto White". Being a very common delicacy and perhaps a very cheap source of protein for the populous, it is sold in nearly all available open markets. The crop is mainly consigned from the numerous farms in the northern part of the country and thus vary amenable to genetic diversity. This study was undertaken to investigate whether there were any major differences within and between these varieties when sourced from different locations in selected markets in Benin City. The seeds were obtained from major open store markets in and around Benin City, Edo State, and were morphologically characterized quantitatively and qualitatively using standard descriptors. Seed length, width, thickness, weight, and volume were among the quantitative parameters, while the qualitative parameters included seed brilliance, shape, eye colour, eye pattern, splitting of testa, testa texture, basal colour, pattern of variegation, colour of variegation, and basal colour of variegated seeds. There were no variations in the qualitative parameters among the seeds of "Ekpoma Local" and "Sokoto White" varieties; however those of the "Ife Brown" variety were significant variable in seed colour. Significant variations existed in the seed quantitative parameters. Among seed parameters measured, seed volume was more diverse, with a coefficient of variation of 13.15 - 14.14, when compared with coefficients of variation for other quantitative parameters measured. In terms of seed volume therefore, the "Sokoto White" variety appeared to be more diverse than "Ekpoma Local" and then "Ife Brown" in that order. In terms of overall variation, group mean sum of squares for the "Ife Brown" variety was 146.95, compared to 26.18 and 31.23 for "Ekpoma Local" and "Sokoto White" respectively, indicating that the "Ife Brown" variety was the most likely variable species among the three in the Markets of Benin City.

Assessment of knowledge and attitude towards suicidal ideation, and suicidal risk of adults in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 804,000 persons die annually from suicide. Suicidal ideation in adults results from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 450 adults in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select respondents. Data were obtained using pretested structured self-administered questionnaires which were adopted from the adult suicidal ideation questionnaire. Data analysis was by IBM statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, and the level of significance was set at p<0.05.Results: A total of 450 respondents participated in this study, mean age±standard deviation (SD)=23.7±5.3. One hundred and forty-six (66.4%) respondents had good knowledge of suicidal ideation and 207 (94.1%) had a positive attitude towards suicidal ideation. One-tenth of respondents were at risk of committing suicide.Conclusions: One-tenth of the respondents were at risk of committing suicide. The government and medical personnel need to put in concerted efforts to ensure that suicidal ideation among adults is promptly addressed.