₦airaland Forum

AP Medical Writer= CHICAGO (AP) — The best method for finding narcotics that smugglers, or drug "mules," hide within their bodies is the same CT medical imaging more commonly used to spot cancer, a small study by Swiss researchers suggests.

CT scans were far more accurate at detecting smuggled drugs than X-rays. But CT scanning machines and the image processing are expensive, too costly to regularly use to catch smugglers, some experts say.

In the study, all 18 CT scans on smugglers correctly detected drugs they had swallowed or stuffed inside bodily cavities. There was only one mistake — one non-smuggler was wrongly identified as hiding drugs.

By comparison, conventional digital X-rays accurately detected smuggled drugs in 21 cases, but missed nine. The X-rays also indicated drugs when there were none in six cases. A type of full-body X-ray was better than that, spotting six correctly and getting three cases wrong, but it wasn't as good as CT scanning.

X-rays are less expensive than CT scans, but also more prone to false readings, said Dr. Patricia Flach, the study's lead researcher. She is a forensic radiologist at University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland, which is especially equipped to handle drug mules.

"On plain X-rays, overlapping structures, intestinal gas and feces very often disguise intestinal packs causing false-positive and false negative read-outs," Flach said.

Her research was being presented Wednesday at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago.

The study involved 50 suspected drug mules or "body packers," brought by customs officials to the Swiss hospital over a three-year period, or who showed up on their own because of overdose symptoms. Some were scanned with CT machines, some with X-rays and some with both.

The suspects were ages 16 to 45, most of them men; 43 of them were ultimately identified as drug mules, most smuggling cocaine from Africa on airplanes.

The research offers an intriguing glimpse into the world of drug smuggling. Flach said mules often swallow 50 to 100 packets of drugs, sometimes stored in condoms coated with wax to make them easier to gulp down. They sometimes practice by swallowing whole grapes and plums.

The packets may show up as distinct round or oblong-shaped white or dark spots on imaging tests.

Flach said the smugglers sometimes raise suspicion because they often don't drink or eat anything during long flights, to avoid losing their contraband in airplane toilets. Customs agents are then tipped off once the plane lands. Or sometimes the packets rupture during the flight, causing an overdose and the smugglers have to be rushed to the hospital.

In the United States, some major international airports have onsite medical centers with X-ray machines and special toilets, said John Saleh, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in New York. Sometimes customs contracts with hospitals to run imaging tests on suspects, who must sign consent forms. If they refuse, they're held in custody long enough for any drugs to pass, Saleh said.

Dr. Nageswara Mandava dealt with drug mules for several years at a now-shuttered New York hospital that worked with customs agents at Kennedy International Airport.

His own research shows CT scan images are superior but too expensive and time-consuming to use routinely. X-rays generally are good enough at detecting drugs, costing about $50 each and producing an image in minutes, versus a few hundred dollars for a CT scan, which can take hours. Mandava said CT scans are probably most useful to confirm an inconclusive X-ray.

Dr. Luis Rivas, chief of trauma and emergency radiology at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, agreed that CT scans produce superior images. But he said cost — more than $1 million per machine — makes them impractical at airports. Plus, they emit much more radiation so pose more health risks.

Rivas said his center used to help identify drug mules but stopped when customs priorities shifted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Before then, vans with X-ray machines on board were stationed at various airports, including Newark, Houston, and Miami — the busiest. X-ray scans of suspects were transmitted to a computer at his hospital, where doctors evaluated them, Rivas said.

"This method was very cost-effective for the customs department because the agents never had to leave the airport and the results were available to them within minutes," he said.

beneli: . . . and those Doctors are remunerated adequately to enable them fulfil their own part of the contract!

beneli: Of course, we all understand that medical practice is supposed to be a vocation and not a means to becoming stupendously rich; however you have to bear in mind that to attract the right people into the 'vocation' you still have to ensure that they are at least adequately remunerated for their 'services to humanity'. Contrary to what some people have been saying, Doctors are indispensable! If they were not, they would not be among the highest paid civil servants in almost all countries of the world. In Nigeria more so, because in spite of the hype the Lagos government WILL NOT be able to replace most of the Doctors it has sacked!

beneli: And no matter what people on here are now saying to justify the positions they are taking, Nigerian Doctors are not inherently worse off in terms of their attitudes to work than their counterparts from other parts of the world. After all these same Doctors that are so maligned in Nigeria still go abroad and excel in their various specialities and are able to relate well with their patients.

beneli: The fact that there is hardly any profession in Nigeria that fairs better in terms of their attitude to work would indicate that this is a systemic problem and not the fault of the Doctors per se . . . so if people really do have that inclination to curse, I would honestly suggest that they start by cursing themselves . . .

beneli: If there were to be a villain in this whole thing, the real villain here would be the one that has reneged on its agreement and then gone ahead to use all the resources at it’s disposal to play some kind of macabre 'politics', while remaining impervious to the suffering of the many vulnerable and already broken people who elected it to serve and protect them.

But then, the matter has gone to court. So let the court decide . . .

The duties of a doctor registered with the General Medical Council

Patients must be able to trust doctors with their lives and health. To justify that trust you must show respect for human life and you must:

• Make the care of your patient your first concern
• Protect and promote the health of patients and the public
• Provide a good standard of practice and care
o Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date
o Recognise and work within the limits of your competence
o Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients' interests
• Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity
o Treat patients politely and considerately
o Respect patients' right to confidentiality
• Work in partnership with patients
o Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences
o Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand
o Respect patients' right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care
o Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health
• Be honest and open and act with integrity
o Act without delay if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may be putting patients at risk
o Never discriminate unfairly against patients or colleagues
o Never abuse your patients' trust in you or the public's trust in the profession.
You are personally accountable for your professional practice and must always be prepared to justify your decisions and actions.

beneli: Though I am not directly affected by what is going on, I can’t help finding a lot of the comments on here to be not only sentimental hogwash, but occasionally, outrightly ignorant!

The Doctors are not ‘begging’ to get their jobs back they are demanding that not only should their jobs be given back to them but also that the government should commence FULL implementation of CONMESS.

Here’s the press release from NARD stating their position clearly:



What a lot of people on here don’t seem to be aware of is that a country of 160 million people served by only 22,000 Doctors is actually in a very desperate situation . . . and if it then goes ahead to sack almost 1000 of these Doctors then something is clearly wrong with the concerned government, which in this particular case is led by Governor Fashola. No amount of spinning the issues or playing to the sentiments of a largely ignorant population, by the few who understand the political implications of this error, will make it right – he’s screwed up big time on this one!

I doubt the Doctors will change their position. They are right and Fashola is wrong, so he should not try to run away from something he has agreed to. It’s not statesmanlike of him to continue doing so . . .

I do hope the court will do the right thing – reinstate the positions of the Doctors and if it’s within its powers to also MANDATE the government to do what it agreed it would do. Otherwise the brain drain will continue . . .

For now, Doctors don’t BEG for jobs. At least not in a country like Nigeria and certainly not in the UK or in the USA . . . If that sounds arrogant – deal with it!

The state of health care in Nigeria has been worsened by a physician shortage as a consequence of severe 'brain drain'. Many Nigerian doctors have emigrated to North America and Europe. In 2005, 2,392 Nigeria doctors were practising in the US alone, in UK number was 1,529. Retaining these expensively trained professionals has been identified as an urgent goal . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Nigeria

LAMBORGHINI has torpedoed claims that it uses 20 per cent of Audi parts in its hot new Gallardo LP560-4 coupe. Company boss Stephan Winkelmann said Lamborghini would continue to use no more than [b]10 per cent of donor equipment from Audi.

"It's always been the case that we use 10 per cent and this will not change for the future,"[/b] he said.

Lamborghini said it is proud to be a part of the Audi family and the fact that it can draw on chassis and power train development that encompasses the Ingolstadt maker's acclaimed all-wheel-drive layout.

Winkelmann said customers demand something that is exclusively Lamborghini and that there is no need to have any more borrowed content from its owner.

"They (customers) can accept some of the hidden parts like oil filters and the electronic powertrain and I believe 10 per cent borrowed from Audi is enough to give you synergies and scale."


Lamborghini continues to deny that the LP560-4 is derived from the Audi R8 platform, instead saying it was developed exclusively at the Sant'Agata headquarters in Bologna.

Ironically the R8 was given its international press launch at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year, the same venue Lamborghini is using this month to reveal the new Gallardo to the world's media.

A story that appeared in the mass circulation British publication Autocar recently suggested that Lamborghini was using 20 per cent of gear from Audi.

Visibly among the only parts that have German origins are some switches and controls in the cabin.

If sales are any indication the relationship with the Audi group has placed Lamborghini in the strongest position it has been since the company started in 1962 by tractor businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini.

It is a far cry from when Lamborghini fell into the hands of an Indonesian concern controlled by Tommy Suharto in 1994 after a period of Chrysler ownership.

The Indonesians had no experience nor knowledge of the car industry and their idea of a budget for development of an all-new car was understood to be "a million dollars", barely enough to pay for the paperwork for such a project.

Looks like Innoson is about to get a competitor from none other than PAN! I guess they don't want to be left out.

PAN set to assemble 3,000 Chinese cars annually

FEBRUARY 26, 2012 BY RASHEED BISIRIYU
PAN Nigeria Limited, the manufacturers of Peugeot vehicles in Nigeria, is set to diversify its brand portfolio with mass production of Alsvin model, a brand of the Chongqing Changan Automobile China.

The auto company said on Friday that it had completed a full scale installation of the factory lines for the production of the Alsvin –with an engine capacity of 1.5 litres.

It also said the firm had concluded arrangement with the Chinese manufacturer to provide the technical support to enable it to assemble 3,000 Alvin vehicles in Nigeria.

PAN is one of the few surviving auto assembly plants in Nigeria, which was privatised in 2003 as part of measures to reinvigorate local vehicle production.

According to a statement by the acting Head of Corporate Communication, PAN Nigeria, Mr. Musa Usman, the company had rolled out some units of the product, which are prototypes.

It said, “This is on the strength of a Technical Agreement signed between PAN Nigeria Limited and Changan Automotive Manufacturing Company, brand owners of the ALSVIN, a B and M1 segments car.”

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in China in October last year, the statement said.

“Chairman, Board of Directors of PAN Nigeria, Alhaji Sani Dauda, led top management of the company to China for the historical event in October last year,” it said.

The team from China was in Kaduna, the production base of PAN Nigeria, on Wednesday to assess the preparedness of the Nigerian auto firm.

“During an inspection tour of the first set of the Nigerian produced ALSVIN to ascertain the overall readiness of the company, the chairman said PAN would initially produce about 3,000 units of the ALSVIN from its Kaduna plant in 2012 with production target expected to increase annually,” it said.

It gave the attributes of the product as having European design, strong Chinese elements and an amenability to the Nigerian terrain.

The Managing Director, PAN Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Dauda, said the decision to diversify into a multi-brand was market driven and hinged it on the need to produce affordable vehicles within the reach of the middle class in the country.

He said, “We have achieved test production of the Alsvin. We have also exhaustively conducted road test of our production to assess quality and durability which signify our reputation.


http://www.punchng.com/business/pan-set-to-assemble-3000-chinese-cars-annually/
“The results were very favourable as the ALsvin proved to be very suitable for Nigerian roads.”

Ivynwa: This is exactly what I thought the first time I read the thread yesterday. I actually visited the thread again in wonder to know whether we don't have the patenting/copyright stuff in Nigeria and I am glad this poster made good comment about that.

To poster.
If you can develop that, you can develop more fantastic ones or take the advice of some programmers here and make it more sophisticated/better version. More grease to your creative elbows dear.Next time patent your stuffs before you go marketing yourself along with your idea. How on earth did you sell your idea verbatim to another like that, you shouldn't have given out all info about it.

Seun: If you ask them to sign an NDA they will just tell you to get lost. The best you can do is have something to offer so they will have a reason to hire you along with your idea. Nobody is going to buy a mere idea, because anybody can come up with an idea or get ideas for free from the Internet, forums like Nairaland, etc. There are about 6 billion heads in the world and they are all full of ideas. People will not pay for what they can get for free. Forget about that. The real value is in the development, validation, and execution of ideas.

AjanleKoko: They're called Background Check International, and run by Kola Olugbodi. Quite effective too.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Embattled Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson told company employees late Monday that he is sorry for the distraction his resume padding scandal has caused -- without commenting on what role his own actions might have played in creating the drama.

"I want you to know how deeply I regret how this issue has affected the company and all of you," Thompson said in a memo obtained by CNN. "We have all been working very hard to move the company forward, and this has had the opposite effect. For that, I take full responsibility, and I want to apologize to you."

The scandal erupted late last week, when activist shareholder group Third Point first alleged that Thompson lied about his college degree. Thompson's published bios have claimed that he holds a Bachelor's degree in both accounting and computer science from Stonehill College, but his degree is actually only in accounting.
Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) said that it had incorrectly stated Thompson's academic credentials, claiming the mistake was an "inadvertent error."

Thompson's memo to Yahoo's staff included no explanation for how the mistake happened. His apology was solely for the impact the scandal has had on the company, not for the act itself.
That didn't impress the troops.

A senior Yahoo executive, who spoke to CNN on the condition that his name not be used, said: "Thompson has quickly lost the confidence of many employees, who think he has to go."

False statements about Thompson's degree predate his tenure at Yahoo, which began in January. References to a "computer science" degree also appeared in his online biographical information on PayPal's website when he was president of the eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500) subsidiary.

Thompson's degree information is actually correct in eBay's regulatory filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission and in the bio featured in filings for F5 (FFIV), where he serves as a director. In both cases, the companies state: "Mr. Thompson holds a B.S. in Accounting from Stonehill College," with no reference to a computer science degree.

But the false statement about his degree appeared in Yahoo's latest annual report filed to the SEC: "Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting and computer science from Stonehill College."

Critics like Third Point seized on that line and are demanding answers about how it made its way into Yahoo's regulatory filings. CEOs are required to personally certify that their company's statements are accurate.
The annual report Yahoo filed last month includes this line, directly above Scott Thompson's signature: "This report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact."

Yahoo's board is conducting an independent review of the false statement, and Thompson said on Monday he would cooperate fully with the review. The CEO urged a "prompt" conclusion to the probe.
A spokeswoman from Third Point declined to comment on Thompson's apology.

The investment group said earlier on Monday that it wasn't satisfied with Yahoo's review process. It sent Yahoo's board a letter demanding that it be allowed to inspect books and records relating to Thompson's hiring, and it urged the company to make details of the review public.

Yahoo's board "will make an appropriate disclosure to shareholders" upon conclusion of its review, Yahoo said in a statement e-mailed statement to CNNMoney.

It's unclear right now who will ultimately take the blame for the resume brouhaha. Tech blog AllThingsD reported on Tuesday that the woman in charge of Yahoo's CEO search, director Patti Hart, will step down at Yahoo's next annual meeting, which has not yet been scheduled. Yahoo did not reply to a request for comment on Hart's status at the company.

Yahoo's typically uses the headhunting firm Heidrick & Struggles for its executive searches. But AllThingsD says the firm wasn't involved in the search for Thompson -- he reportedly reached out directly to company directors to pitch himself for the CEO job.

CNNMoney has reached out to Heidrick & Struggles to find out if the firm was involved in vetting Thompson's background. The firm did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Thompson said he would continue pushing forward on the company's latest attempt to rebuild.
"I feel I owe it to all of you to make sure that nothing disrupts the progress we've made in just a few short months due to all of your focus, commitment, and hard work," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. We need to continue to act as one team to fulfill the potential of this great company and keep moving forward. You have my word that all my energy and attention will be on that mission."

jp philips: oga we know say you sabi book, after all, you dey look women bobi for lecture hall, abeg borrow your son's physics textbook SS1 and read about "hooke's law" then come back and laugh at the bold part of your comment

agiboma: Some whites are even trying to get whiter, so they also use whitening creams, i know of a few that like the vampire look and are trying yo acheive it

(CNN) -- It may sound crazy. Why would a high-ranking executive lie about his or her credentials, especially now, when all it takes is a quick phone call or Internet search to verify information?

Yet it happens more often than you might think. From a white lie about time spent as a customer service rep to a whopper about earning an MBA, résumé padding occurs regularly across industries, experts say. In a 2010 survey of 1,818 organizations, 69% reported catching a job candidate lying on his or her résumé, according to employment screening service HireRight.

The most common lie on a résumé has to do with education, said Kim Isaacs, founder and director of ResumePower.com and Monster.com's résumé expert. The discovery that Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson does not have a bachelor's degree in accounting and computer science (he has a bachelor of science degree in business administration, with a major in accounting) makes him the latest executive to be targeted for falsely claiming to have a degree.
Or, at least, a certain kind of degree.

In the wake of the allegation, made by shareholder firm Third Point, Yahoo removed all references to Thompson's degree from his biography on its website and said the error "in no way alters that fact that Mr. Thompson is a highly qualified executive with a successful track record leading large consumer technology companies." Yahoo's board is reviewing the issue and will "make an appropriate disclosure to shareholders" when that inquiry is finished.

The incident has raised debate over whether the gaffe counts as inconsequential "fudging" or "exaggeration" of his credentials or a lie that casts a shadow over his long career.

Many in the tech industry, including Third Point, are demanding Thompson's ouster. Others have spoken out on his behalf, calling upon the "Silicon Valley bloggerati" to stop picking on Thompson.

"Thompson has a degree in accounting, not computer science, but frankly at this point in his career does it really matter what he studied as an undergraduate?" Newsweek technology editor Dan "Fake Steve Jobs" Lyons asked in a Daily Beast column.

"(Thompson is) 54 years old, has been CEO of PayPal, and before that held high positions at Inovant, a subsidiary of Visa, and Barclays Global Investors. He's qualified to run Yahoo."

Résumé "embellishments" among titans of industry have led to mixed results. Former RadioShack CEO Dave Edmondson resigned less than nine months after taking his post after the revelation that he did not have degrees in theology and psychology. On the other hand, Bausch & Lomb's Ronald Zarrella offered to resign when it was discovered that he had not earned his MBA from NYU, as he'd claimed. The board did not accept his resignation, but he was forced to give up his bonus that year.

It's not a phenomenon exclusive to Fortune 500 companies. Former Notre Dame football coach George O'Leary resigned after five days on the job when it came to light that he did not have a master's in education from NYU or play football at the University of New Hampshire.

Résumé padding has become a point of increasing concern for companies big and small, prompting them to step up screening methods and background checks for job applicants, according to HireRight's Employment Screening Benchmarking Report.

"Screening continues to be a heavily adopted practice by employers in order to protect their business from unnecessary risks, maintain compliance and avoid poor quality hires," the report said. "Even where lies may not represent a huge loss to the employer, companies report that catching a candidate in an untruth undermines confidence and credibility."
The 2010 survey found that 94% of respondents performed criminal checks, 70% performed identity and previous employment verification, and about half verified education and references.

Isaacs sees résumé padding with growing frequency in her role as a résumé adviser because of the fluctuating job market and high unemployment rates. People often omit months in the start and end dates of their last jobs to exaggerate periods of employment and minimize unemployment. They also exaggerate accomplishments, like raising sales from 15% to 25%, or take individual credit for a project that was accomplished through teamwork, she said. Inflating titles from receptionist to administrative assistant, for example, also occurs frequently, she said.

People see job postings for which they feel they have the right experience but not the requisite degree, prompting them to fabricate an extra line on their résumés, Isaacs said.

"People feel inadequate and that they have to do whatever it takes to get their foot in the door. It's a combination of wanting to get an edge and jobs being limited due to the economy," she said. "People see others getting ahead and think, 'maybe it's my résumé.' The temptation arises from a desire to stay competitive."

It comes at a high price, including eventually being found out or, for those with a guilty conscience, the constant fear of being found out, she said.

It's easy to disparage Thompson, she said, but given the high incidence of résumé padding in general, people should use this opportunity to take a second look at their own résumés.
"He got caught, so he's the obvious target. But it's quite likely that many of the people who will talk about him have a similar lie on their résumés," she said.

"Sell your benefits, the ones that reflect ... why you're perfect even though you don't have the degree," Isaacs suggested. "Armed with an excellent résumé, you'll get your foot in the door, and there'll be something that comes along that's perfect for you, and you can start a job on honest footing, and it's just better for everybody."

Piyke: I think that what tires bear on their sidewalls is the maximum pressure you should not exceed when inflating the tire and not necessarily the recommended pressure for driving. The recommended tire pressure for your vehicle will be written in your car's manual and the sticker by the door frame. Eg for a 2003 accord LX its 30psi front and 29 psi back.

Piyke: I dont understand the logic here. Every inflatable device has the maximum amount of pressure it can contain above which a rupture becomes inevitable at some point. Are you saying that if a tire rated "44psi max" is pumped to 80psi that it doesn't stand an increased chance of exploding I think physics supports this

Ikenna351: Last week, my daily driver had a flat tyre. I remove it and put the spare tyre. I took the flat tyre to a tyre Vulcanizer. After fixing the tyre leak, I asked him what pressure gauge he leaved it at. He said 40 psi. I told him that i would prefer that he reduced the pressure to 33 psi, as the factory recommended for the R15 195/65 88H. Well he maintained that the 40 psi was ok for the tire size. Because i didnt have tyre pressure guage to reduce it on my own, i let it be. I paid for the job, collected the tyre and headed to APO mechanic village to get prices of 505 parts I needed to purchase this week and send to friends in USA & New Zealand that needed the parts to keep their 505s on the road (due to unavailability of 505 parts overthere, especially in North America). I also decided to use that opportunity to purchase and have my own Tyre air pressure guage. I found two types in the market: clock type & metal pen type (one usually seen and used by our tyre vulcanizers). The pen type is of two grades: the one of N1000 & the one N600. I purchase the one of 1k because the superior quality was so glaring/obvious. I think the brand is PCL. Anyway, I got home and tested it on the tyre that was fixed that day. What i saw on the guage gave me the shock of my life. 60 psi !! This was the tyre the tyre vulcanizer said he left it at 40 psi. Luckly for me, i was still running on the spare tyre. Had it been i have mounted the tyre on the car, maybe it would have exploded. Hmm! I quickly reduced it to 33 psi.

Underinflated & overinflated tyres contribute a lot to high fuel consumption of our various vehicles. They also reduce the lifespan of our tyres. We can save a lot headache by having tyre pressure guage & checking the tyre pressures everytime those clowns touch our tyres. If you have the guage, you can be checking your tyre pressures, at least, once every week to know when to add air to the tyre(s), if need be. Maintaining the factory recommended tyre pressure would ensure the sustainability of the good fuel economy of the car & prolong the tyre's lifespan.

Get the tyre air pressure guage. 1k or N600 is not too much.

Ikenna.

Doctor flaky: This is the reason the smart investor should buy property in dat axis cos Badagry is fast becoming more like Lekki. Any info this shuold call me on 08126895535

nuclearboy: All so simple really! The House of Reps has the power to force him if they want! So if they were not just playing to the gallery, this is the time to exercise their powers.

Its like the executive sees the other two arms of government as a joke! If they accept that "position" (of being a joke), then this democracy has definitely failed.

I have till now believed the ties of PDP brotherhood have restrained the Reps even when disgusted but with majority coming from the north which is hardest hit by current circumstances, those ties are breaking faster than the Executive arm realises.

When SNG moves and the populace rises, legislators will be compelled to choose a side!