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Anthropogenic activities such as pesticide use, coal-burning, and manufacturing introduce harmful substances that have high resistance to degradation by abiotic and biotic factors, and as such persist in the environment. They build up in the environment when decomposers are unable to break them down. Plants and fish take up these substances which are then transferred along the food chain until they reach the highest tropic level. These substances are collectively known as Persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances (PBTs). They typically accumulate in fatty tissues of humans and other species and are slowly metabolized, often increasing in concentration within the food chain. PBTs have been linked to a range of adverse effects in humans, including nervous system disorders, reproductive and developmental problems, cancer, gene mutation, alteration of sexual characteristics and other hormonal functions.

The study was carried out for determine the amount of input- output energy used and indices of energy and economic of fattening farms under different farm sizes in Qazvin city of Iran. For this purpose the data were collected from 30 fattening farms. The surveyed farms were classified into three groups of small (less than 50 heads), medium (50 to 150 heads) and large farms (more than 150 heads).The total average energy input of 24003 MJ calf -1 was required for fattening farm. The share of feed by 75% of the total energy inputs was the highest energy input. This was followed by fossil fuels (16%) and young calf (4%), respectively. The energy use efficiency, energy productivity, Specific energy, and net energy were found as 0.009 (kg MJ-1), 114.8 (MJ kg-1) and -20553(MJ calf-1), respectively. According to the study results, the contribution of indirect energy was higher than that of direct energy; also the share of renewable energy was more than that of non-renewable energy. Economic analysis showed that total average cost of production was 909.8 ($ calf-1). The benefit-cost ratio and productivity were 1.1 and 0.22 (kg $-1), respectively. The results showed that medium farms in terms of economic and energy indexes lower position than the small and large farms. So, they should change their scale to achieve higher efficiency.

In recent times, Nigeria and most developing countries have witnessed an increase in malnutrition and health challenges. There are several natural sources/resources for attaining good nutrition for the achievement of good health; one of the scientifically proven resources is Moringa oleifera. Therefore, this study assessed consumers’ willingness to pay for health benefits of Moringa oleifera Products in Ogun State. A total of 150 respondents were interviewed in 2 Local Government Areas of the State which were purposively selected to reflect the three classes of consumers the study is interested in. Data were analyzed using Descriptive statistics and Logit regression model. The Contingent Valuation Method was used to determine the consumers’ willingness to pay for Moringa oleifera Leaf Powder and Moringa oleifera Seed. Results revealed that 54.0% of the respondents were females, 44.0% civil servants with a mean age of 42 years and mean monthly income of N106,607.00. Logit model revealed that bid (p<0.01), education (p<0.05), awareness level (p<0.01) and age (p<0.01) were significant determinants of willingness to pay for Moringa oleifera leaf powder while education, household size, awareness level and income were significant factors influencing willingness to pay for Moringa oleifera seed. The mean willingness to pay for 100g of Moringa oleifera leaf powder and seed was N610 and N517 respectively. The study concluded that majority of the respondents were willing to pay for Moringa oleifera products. The study therefore recommends that there is the need for enlightenment programmes to enhance consumer knowledge on advantages and health benefits of MOP consumption as well as design of empowerment programme target at increasing household income.

Corporate governance model and performance indicators have become subjects of intense debate within and across law, finance and economics. Despite this widespread interest, finding evidence that corporate governance model causes changes in performance indicators has posed a significant challenge. This paper seeks to ascertain whether cross sectional variation between corporate governance model and performance indicators among Nigerian firms. The sample comprises a panel of 40 non-financial firm listed on the Nigerian stock exchange (NSE), covering the period of 2008-2012. The combination of 40 firms for a five-years period provides a balanced panel of 316 observations which can be analyzed using panel data methodology. The performance indicators used in this study is dividend yield. The postulated hypotheses were tested, using the multiple regression analysis. The empirical results suggest that there is a significant positive influence of corporate governance model on dividend cover. The study recommend that corporate governance model should lead to improvements in terms of the decision making process of the companies in Nigeria. Keywords: Corporate Governance Model, Corporate Performance, Agency Theory, Dividend Yield, Nigeria.

We are very happy to announce that from 2nd August 2013, Dr. Anand Kumar Tripathi has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Information Technology for Business Transformation. Dr. Anand Kumar Tripathi is currently working as Director in Ishwarchand Vidya Sagar Institute of Technology (IVSIT-239), Mathura (UP). The appointment of Dr. Anand Kumar Tripathi as member Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal. Please send any expressions of interest to elixirpublishers@gmail.com. Sincerely Editor-in-Chief

We are very happy to announce that from 3rd August 2016, Dr. Suman Kumari Joshi has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He/She will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Veterinary Science. Dr. Suman Kumari Joshi working as Scientist (Veterinary/Animal Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bhanjanagar, Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar – 751 003, Odisha, India. The appointment of Dr. Suman Kumari Joshi as member Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal. Please send any expressions of interest to elixirpublishers@gmail.com.

We are very happy to announce that from 25th February 2013, Dr.P.Ponnusamy has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Mechanical Engineering. Dr.P.Ponnusamy is currently working as Professor & Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Surya Engineering College, Erode-638 107. The appointment of Dr.P.Ponnusamy as member Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal. Please send any expressions of interest to chiefeditor@elixirjournal.org. Sincerely Editor-in-Chief

Mechanical Properties such as tensile strength, yield strength Impact strength etc and microstructure of weldment of various steels are too much affected by the shielding gases. Shielding gases play an important role during the welding process.it cannot be over look. In this review paper an attempt has to be made to explain the effect of shielding gases on the mechanical properties and metallurgical properties of a weldment. The coarse-grained weld microstructure, higher heat-affected zone, and lower penetration together with higher reinforcement reduce the weld service life in continuous mode gas metal arc welding (GMAW). It is observed that weld bead geometry and penetration is too much affected by the use of shielding gas. This brief review illustrates the effect of shielding gases on weld quality

To assess the impact of textile and dye industrial effluent on soil and crops, the pot culture experiment carried out with maize crop to determine the effect of dye and textile factory effluent in combination with amendments (poultry manure, green leaf manure, biocompost, vermicompost). This study revealed that application of CETP sludge @ 5 t ha-1 + poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + NPK increased the soil organic carbon, available N, P, K, Ca, Mg and micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn) in soil under treated effluent irrigation compared to river water irrigation. The sodium content and ESP of soil increased under effluent irrigation. However, it did not produce any toxic effects to the crops. This showed that the treated effluent could be safely used for irrigation along with poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and NPK.

Information technology has become an essential component of any financial organization in the present global scenario. Information Technology governance is a concept that has suddenly emerged and become an important issue in the information technology field. It has been observed by researcher banks in India are using IT based systems from last three decades for performing different banking functions but their implementation is done in a disorganized manner. Therefore implementation of IT is not as effective as it should be. In fact implementation is not everything all but its prefect governance is a must to get the optimum benefits of IT enabled modern technologies. For getting real fruits of IT, proper IT governance is required. This article tries to highlight importance of IT governance, obstacles in IT governance and implementation framework for IT governance in banks.