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The water quality index (WQI) method rather than the conventional water quality standard approach was applied in evaluating the surface water quality of the Jakara basin, Kano, Northern Nigeria. The objective of this study is to provide water quality index reference values and pattern for targeted environment. Thirty surface water samples were collected: twenty three samples along River Getsi and seven surface water samples along the main channel River Jakara. Twenty three quality parameters namely: pH, temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity, dissolve oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, Fecal Coli form, total solids, nitrates, phosphates, cobalt, iron, nickel, manganese ,copper, sodium, potassium, mercury, chromium, cadmium, lead ,magnesium, and calcium were analyzed. The study used nine physicochemical and bacteriological parameters converge into single value as suggested by National Science Foundation-Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI). The result reveled that S2,S3,S4,S5,S12,S15,S17 of the River Getsi fall under very bad water quality while other sampling points within the same stream shows Bad water quality. On the other hand out of the seven sampling points within River Jakara, only S25 shows Very bad, others fall within Bad water quality. In general water in the Jakara basin fall under very bad category and pose a danger in any form of water consumption. The water quality index scheme performed better in water quality pollution trend analysis due to its sensitivity to changes in water quality at different point in time.

A variability analysis of some pedons formed on sedimentary parent materials in south-western Nigeria was made, and their potential for sustainable crop productivity was evaluated. Three locations (Eggua, Esan and Papalanto) were surveyed and sampled for the experiment. Three landscape positions (Upper, Middle and Lower Slopes) were identified and soil sample was collected at the depth of 0-30cm and 30-60cm for each landscape position for physical and chemical analysis in each of the location. Data collected were subjected to 2-Way Analysis of Variance arranged in a randomized completely block design with Location, landscape position and soil depth as factors and soil physical and chemical properties as variables. Significantly different means were separated using LSD at (P ? 0.05) level of probability. Descriptive statistical analysis was also carried out to evaluate measure of dispersion and mean for all variables. The variability of soil properties within and among pedons was measured by estimating the percentage coefficient of variation (%CV). The results of this study revealed that pH in water, pH in KCl, BS and BD had the least variation when compared with Na, ECEC and sand which showed low to moderate variation and TN, OC, P, Ca, Mg, K, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, silt and clay which shows low, moderate, high to very high variation. Also results from the analysis of variance also show that landscape positions have significant (P ? 0.05) effects on P, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, BS, Mg, Na, ECEC and silt, whereas, TN, OC, Ca, K, pH in water, pH in KCl, sand, clay and BD were not significantly influenced by landscape positions. Soil depth did not significantly (P ? 0.05) affect the availability, distribution and concentration of TN, P, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, BS, Ca, Mg, K, Na, ECEC, sand and silt. Significant (P ? 0.05) differences in OC, pH in water, pH in KCl, Clay and BD were observed with soil depth in all the three locations investigated.

The freeze drying behaviour of local cheese was modeled using conservation laws of mass and energy balances such as Fick’s law of mass transfer, Fourier’s law of heat conduction and the Ideal gas equation. The three models developed and simulated are the drying rate, the moisture content and the energy balance models. Three different samples of cheese labeled A, B and C obtained from Bida, Suleja and Kontagora respectively all in Niger State of Nigeria were used to investigate the drying characteristics of local cheese. The analysis of the moisture contents showed that the moisture contents decreased with drying time and that the final moisture content at any time depends on the initial moisture content. Sample A with initial moisture content of 0.0124 kg has a final moisture content of 0.00097kg after 5 hours of drying, while samples B and C with initial moisture contents of 0.009kg and 0.0104kghave their final moisture contents of 0.00001kg and 0.00010kg respectively at the end of 5 hours. When the effect of temperature on moisture loss was studied, it was observed that the moisture loss increased as the freeze drying temperature was increased from 278 to 298K. Results also revealed that moisture loss depends on the initial moisture contents of samples. For this investigation, Samples A, Band C with initial moisture contents of 0.0124kg, 0.0138kg and 0.0104kg have moisture losses of 0.00420kg, 0.00440kg and 0.00363kg respectively at the highest freeze drying temperature of 298K. When the drying rates of samples was investigated, it was found that the drying rates decreased as the moisture contents decreased and which is also a function of the initial moisture contents of samples. The validation of the model was done by carrying out statistical precision analysis which compared the experimental results with those of the output of the models. From the results, the drying rate model showed 75 % agreement with the experimental results (i.e R2 value of 0.75), with a standard error of 3.27X10-5 and a variance of 5.37X10-8, the moisture content model interprets about 98.44 % of the experimental results with a standard error of 7.04X10-4 and the variance of 2.79X10-6, while the energy balance model showed about 99.0 % agreement with the experimental results with a standard error of 2.16X10-5 and a variance of 3.32X10-7.

The trends and effects of gears on catches of tuna landed in Ghana by the artisanal, semi-industrial and industrial sectors were analysed over a ten-year period (2001 to 2010). Greater catches were made by the industrial sectors of about 698,754 metric tons out of 846,223 metric tons and skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis dominated the catches of tuna over the study period. Of all the gears used in exploiting tuna in the Ghanaian coastal waters, the purse seine gear used in the industrial sector made the highest catches of tuna of about 374,218 metric tons over the ten year period. Analysis of variance was used to ascertain whether there was significant difference in the quantity of tuna caught using the different gears; for Thunnus albacares P-value (3.25E-13) < significant level (0.05), for Thunnus obesus P-value (0.001437) < significant level (0.05), for Katsuwonus pelamis P-value (1.04E-15) < significant level (0.05) for Auxis thazard P-value (2.41E-06) < significant level (0.05) and for Euthynnus alleteratus P-value (8.14E-07) < significant level (0.05). It was observed that fishing in the Ghanaian waters is having a large impact on the biomass level; and the current level of exploitation of about 80,000 metric tons of tuna averagely per annum appears not to be sustainable in the long term, unless the high recent reports of recruitment is maintained. The purse seine gear employed in the industrial sector was the only gear that showed relative increase in the percentage growth rate in output of all the tuna species in the ten-year period. These were 18%, 17%, 16%, 11% and 6% for Thunnus obesus, Euthynnus alleteratus, Auxis thazard, and Katsuwonus pelamis respectively. This could be attributed among others to the fact that the purse seiner fish around fish aggregating devices (FADs) and also use relatively more sophisticated equipment. It is recommended that detailed tuna species stock assessment should be undertaken to enable adoption of improved and adaptive management approaches.

This paper extends the work of Hernandez [5] to functions of two variables in which the emphasis is given to the influence of convexity on Newton-Raphson’s method using two functions with different degree but having the same solution. Upon the properties of logarithmic degree of convexity the third order convergent iterative method for the solutions of systems of nonlinear equations which avoids the computation of second order derivative of the function is obtained. The result shows the accelerated Newton-Raphson’s method is faster than the other methods considered in this paper.

Twenty five ditch cutting samples from southwest Niger Delta basin were analysed to determine the palynostratigraphic studies. The samples contained very rich and diverse palynomorphs dominated by pollen grains which consist of 12 species distributed among ten genera. Pollen preservation is good with concentration ranging from 1,640 to 34,900 grains/g. The stratigraphic ranges of Circulina parva, Monoporites annulatus, Psilatricolporites operculatus, Multiareolites formosus, Zonocostites ramonae, Podocarpus milanjianus, Echitricolporites spinosus, Retibrevitricolporites obodoensis, R. protrudens and Retitricolpites bendensis and some other marker species were used to demarcate nine palynozones in the study area. These palynomorphs are mainly made up of mangrove swamp floras which suggest the predominance of a high sea level and wet climatic condition in Miocene-Pliocene during the deposition of the studied sediments.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between job challenge and the experience of burnout among four groups of health workers in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. One hundred and forty health workers were selected through purposive sampling from the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. The sample consists of 16 pharmacists, 30 health assistants, 36 doctors and 58 nurses. Perceived Job challenge Measure and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were the instruments used for the study. Four hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Results from this study revealed that there was a significant relationship between job challenge and burnout among health workers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Also, positive stimulation, a component of job challenge had a positive relationship with burnout. Competence testing, another component of job challenge was found to be significantly related to dehumanisation and global burnout. While there was no relationship found between the uncertainty, the last component of job challenge and burnout. Findings were discussed in the light of previous literature on job challenge and burnout and appropriate recommendations were made.

This paper presents a study on the works of Derek J. De Solla Price who is reputed to be the founding father of the field of scientometric. A brief overview of the scientific exploits of de Solla Price was made with a focus on his advanced study on bibliometric and information science. The error introduced by the trivial modification of the contagion success model was identified and discussed with elucidatory expositions. The implication of resulting prizing system which is a derivative of De Solla Price’s works are also identified and discussed. This study provides the rationale for gathering knowledge to learn and improve future designs and implementation in citation analytics.

In this article, a report of a study to investigate pertinent citations in the introduction sections of empirical article published in Turkish Journal of Chemistry is presented. It is attempt to proceed with the validation that majority of citation made in the introduction sections of scientific articles are impertinent to the study. In this study, an empirical investigation of pertinence of citations made in Turkish Journal of Chemistry is presented. In this particular study, citations made in the introduction sections in issues published from 1997 to 2004 were analyzed. An empirical scientific article was randomly selected from every issue published, and the pertinence of selected article was determined. Overall, the result showed that less than 20% of the citations were pertinent to the study. This result suggests that over 80% of citations made in the introduction sections may not be applicable in the computation of effective impact of publications.

This study discussed issues relevant to the peer review in the science social system. A background discussion was used to identify the significant clamor of biases in peer review. This was identified as the basis of most author and reviewers conflicts during peer review, however, exposition on the purpose of blinding during peer review was provided. This is to avoid decisions based on sentiment as result of connections between reviewer(s) and author(s).

The aim of this paper is to examine the validity of impact factor as a metric for evaluation of scientific output of researchers, laboratories, departments and their institutions. The opinion that Impact Factor (IF) is an index that expresses the quality and scientific value of a given researcher/author; departments and their institutions is examined against the critical view point in clinical medicine. Sociological and statistical factors are also considered. Attempt is also made to elucidate on what citation exactly should count for quality in determination of values of IF. Citation frequency as a measure of journal's importance to its end users is considered to be a plausible theory in clinical medicine. Sociological and statistical factors are also seen to have effects on values of IF across subject areas. It is also found out that a count of citations to error in calculation of IF value does not reflect a true value of quality. Appropriate count that reflects quality should be used to compute IF values. Many previous critiques have developed to undermine the use of IF as a metric for evaluation of scientific output of researchers/authors. This article forms the first attempt to identify that all citations to an article do not necessarily count for quality. In this context, the article is original and of great potentials.

This study developed a new framework for evaluating the impact of an article/author/journal. The importance of research evaluation is identified. The inadequacies of the methodologies presently used to evaluate impact of published research are also identified. A normalized impact factor which is a citation based metric tool is developed. The frequencies of citation of a reference within an article were used to determine the imaginary and the real impacts of the cited reference. The development of the normalized impact factor is based on the opinion that not all citations made in an article should count in the computation of the impact of a publication.

This paper presents a study which examines the foundation of the present day scientometric as laid down by Derek de Solla Price in his award winning work: A general theory of bibliometric and other cumulative advantage processes, published in Journal of the American Society for Information Science. In the study, the importance of scientometric in research evaluation is identified, and a new concept of scientometrick is introduced. The error made and concealed in the trivial modification of the effect of contagion single-edged success introduced by Derek de Solla Price is exhumed with elucidatory discussion. The features of the Price’s model do not seem to correlate well when compared with the real time situations in academic publishing process. Except that Derek de Solla Price stated so, it is doubtful that the Price’s model is relevant and useful in real time bibliometric and academic publishing processes.

Sexism (prejudice and discrimination, usually against women) is a social problem in most societies of the world that undermines the rights and potentials of women in societies. It also impinges development. Thus there is a need to explore its causes.This study was therefore designed to investigate the influences of sex, sex role orientation and personality variables on sexism in Nigeria. With the aid of a set of questionnaires comprising Bem’s Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) and the Big Five (Personality) Inventory (BFI), data were collected from 780 research participants drawn from among Nigerians resident in South Western Nigeria. Participants’ age range is 15-69 with a mean age of 31.91 years. Using a 4x2x2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis, it was found out that sex and sex role orientation have main and interaction effects on sexism. It was also revealed that sexism is significantly jointly predicted by personality variables. However, the dominant personality trait of an individual was found to determine the type of sexist ideological leanings and behaviors displayed by the person. These findings were discussed in the light of available literature and recommendations were made.

This study examined the influence of religiosity and perceived social support on risky sexual behaviour among undergraduate students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty (250) students were randomly selected from among undergraduate students of Ekiti State University for the study. Six hypotheses were tested using the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire to measure Religiosity, the Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support to measure Perceived Social Support, and the Sexual Risk Taking Questionnaire to measure Risky Sexual Behaviour. The results revealed that religiosity has a significant effect on risky sexual behaviour [F (246) = 22.13, P < 0.01]. It was also found that perceived social support has a significant effect on risky sexual behaviour [F (246) = 4.56, P < 0.05]. However, religiosity and perceived social support do not have any significant interaction effect on risky sexual behaviour [F (246) = 0.173, P > 0.05]. Findings from this study also revealed that males exhibit more risky sexual behaviour than females with significant difference in the mean scores of males (5.56) and females (2.70), [t (248) = 4.98, P < 0.01]. Nonetheless, females and males do not differ significantly on perceived social support [t (248) = -0.59, P > 0.05]. These findings were discussed in the light of available literature and it is recommended that to curtail risky sexual behaviour among Nigeria undergraduates, they should be encouraged to be highly religious, get involved in religious activities, and belief in God. Relevant authorities should also put in place measures to educate the citizenry, by embarking on a large scale enlightenment campaign against indiscriminate sexual involvements through the use of social networks and print and electronic media that would inform and enlighten young people about the consequences of indiscriminate sexual practices. Young people should also be provided with actual social support by friends, families, and significant others as findings revealed that young people who enjoy greater social support are less likely to engage in indiscriminate sexual practices.

Previous perspectives have indicated that self disclosure is an indication of intimate relationships. The high incidence of broken homes, non working and unhealthy interpersonal relationships, and multiple partners menace among adolescents around the world, in the recent times require that concerted efforts be geared towards an understanding of the root causes of this problem. This is particularly so because children of such broken homes are often mal-adjusted and constitute problems to the society. This study therefore examined the effects of sexual self esteem and sexual self assertiveness on sexual self disclosure among heterosexual adolescents in Nigeria. A sample of 172 Nigeria undergraduate students randomly selected from among the undergraduate students of the University of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria; whose mean age is 28.2 was used. Four hypotheses were tested and it was found out that sexual self esteem is not a significant factor affecting sexual self disclosure [F(1) 164 = .311, P>.05 ]. It was also revealed that sexual self assertiveness is a significant factor affecting sexual self disclosure [F(1) 164 = 16.594, P<.05]. And it was found out that there is no significant interaction effect of sexual self esteem and sexual self assertiveness on sexual self disclosure among heterosexual adolescents in Nigeria [F(1) 164 =.456, P>.05]. No significant relationship was also found between sexual self esteem and sexual self assertiveness [r(168) =.060, P>.01]. The findings were discussed in light of available literature and it was recommended that sexuality education should be included in schools curricular to enhance the acquisition of sexual life skills for the communication of sex related issues and boost a healthy sexual and interpersonal relationships.

Owing to the poor academic performances of students in Secondary Schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria, the study examined gender differences and the influence of parenting styles on the academic performances of secondary school students in Ekiti State, Nigeria. A sample of 116 participants comprising of 62 males and 54 females with ages ranging from 13 to 16 years and a mean age of 15.2 years was drawn from among the students of Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. The 20 items Parental Care Scale developed by Baumrind (1971) to measure what children perceive as the styles or approaches that their parents dominantly use in taking care of them was administered on the students and it was found out that parenting style influences children’s academic performances, with authoritative parenting style being most influential [ t (113) = 20.95, p <.01]. No significant difference was found in the academic performances of males and females owing to differing parental styles. Findings were therefore discussed in light of available literature and recommendations were made.

Sexuality is an important component of human life given its implication for sexual satisfaction, reproduction, egalitarianism and the continuity of the human race. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature on cultural sex-role prescriptions for male control and female deference particularly in the Nigerian literature, and to demonstrate the implication of such for relationship satisfaction, sexually transmitted diseases and egalitarianism. In this article, we emphasize the socio-cultural specifics of the Nigerian society and its role in perpetuating power imbalance, sexual inequality and sexual in-expression between men and women.

The study examined the effect of parental conflict and divorce/separation on children’s attitude towards marriage in Nigeria. Three hundred and six undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko in Ondo State, Nigeria were randomly selected and used for the study. Participants’ age ranges between 19 and 27 years with a mean age of 22.03 years. Three hypotheses were tested and results of analysis of data showed that parental conflict and divorce significantly affects children’s attitude towards marriage [t (304) = 13.96, p <.05]. It was also revealed that there was a significant effect of sex on attitude of undergraduate students from divorced families towards marriage [t (124) = 7.95, p<.05]. Results also indicated that children who attributed parental conflict and divorce to inability of parents to give up personal freedom were significantly different on their attitude towards marriage from those who attributed parental conflict and divorce to a lack of mutual trust, poor communication, and discontentment [F (4,270) = 13.25, p<.05]. Results were discussed in light of available literature and recommendations were made.

Coordination compounds derived from N-phthaloylglycine and N-phthaloyltyrosine were synthesized. The ligands were formed by 1:2 molar condensation of phthalic anhydride with tyrosine and glycine respectively. The complexes were formulated as [Zn(PHG)2 (H2O)2] (OAc)2[1], [Ni(PHG)2 (H2O)2] (OAc)2 [2] and [Cu(PHT)2 ] (OAc)2 [3] characterized by melting point, conductivity, AAS , IR, Uv-Visible spectroscopies. Both ligands were found to be bidentate. For complexes [1] and [2] the metal ions coordinate through both oxygen of OH and C=O in the carboxylic group to give octahedral geometry whereas in the [3] the coordination of metal ion occurs through both oxygen of phenoxyl and carbonyl group resulting in tetrahedral geometry. The antimicrobial studies using four test organisms(P.aerugenosa, E.Coli, S. aureus and C. albicans) revealed that the metal complexes exhibit higher activity than their respective ligands.

This paper reported the socio economic importance and marketing of P. osun in Ibadan South West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were collected through the use of structured Questionnaire administered to 150 respondents. Descriptive statistics, Cost and return, and the cost-benefit ratio were determined while Gini coefficient was used to analyze the market structure. The result showed that 73.8% of the respondents were female while 46-55years were 34.7%. P. osun’s leaves were used in the treatment of skin diseases while its roots and bark were used in the treatment of asthma, traditional soaps/antibacterial, its timber is also used in furniture making and building construction. The study further revealed that Bode market has the highest Net profit (?96,319:98) while Beere market has the lowest Net profit (?33,303:18) and the sawmills amassed an average Net profit of (?5,389,625.00) per annum. The Gini coefficient (G=0.81) (G=0.71) for the P. osun herb sellers and P. osun timber sellers respectively indicates the market is highly monopolized and has minimal competition while the regression analysis revealed that age of the sellers and their religion are factors that influence the profit of P. osun sellers in the study area It can be concluded that P. osun trade is highly lucrative whereby an increase in capital will bring an increase in the quantity of P. osun and a sharp increase in profit made from this enterprise. There is the need to properly create awareness campaigns and educate the people about the economic values of P. osun which also require adequate management and conservation for sustainable utilization. 

This paper reported the marketing of wooden doors in Abeokuta Metropolis. Data were collected through the use of structured Questionnaire administered to the traders in identified locations in Abeokuta metropolis. Descriptive statistics and budgetary techniques were used for the analysis of data collected. The results showed that marketing and trade in this product is male dominated and involved people in their active age of 26-35 years (59%). Majority of the respondents were married and most of them had formal education, at least up to secondary level. Most of the respondents were fulltime marketer and some of the marketer purchase wooden doors from Ijebu-ode and Ibadan at wholesale price. The common wood species used for doors are Gmelina aborea, Tectona grandis, Mansonia altisima, mahogany (khaya spp), Cordia millenii, Nauclea diderrichii. Majority of the respondent started the trade as apprentices. The analysis of cost and returns showed that the marketing of wooden doors is a very profitable business, the rate of returns on investment as a producer was (36.08%) and it was (16.20%) as a wholesaler/retailer. The results of Pearson chi-square showed that age, marital status, other occupations, source of capital, years of experience were the major factors by which variation in monthly profit can be explained and predicted; they were significant at 5% level. It can be concluded from this study that trade in wooden doors is a profitable venture and can provide fulltime employment. However, as the marketers depend on trees planted by the government, they might soon run out of business when the plantations are exhausted. Informed suggestions were offered towards the sustainable management of forest plantation and continued availability of raw materials for production.

A second order partial differential equation occurring frequently in applied mathematics is the wave equation. A generalization of this equation inevitably arises in many mathematical analyses of phenomena involving the propagation of waves in continuous media. Here, we applied the wave differential equation to investigate and explain neural communication using the nervous system. On application of Bloch nuclear magnetic resonance theory, a linear 1-dimensional homogeneous second order partial differential equation, as a model, is obtained which represents a nerve set in a vibrational motion. Analytical results from the solution of the differential equation show that the transmission of nerve impulses is not a flow of electrons, as in the case of electric current, but a wave of electrical activity travelling along the neurone. A three dimensional pictoral representation of the results further explains the phenomenon clearly.

The last 15 years of post-conflict activities in Liberia had witnessed series of struggles for sustainable peace and democratic system due to mis-conduct in governance that has become barrier to the peace and security of Liberians. This study examines and analyses issues on post-conflict peacebuilding and democratic governance from1997 to 2012 in Liberia. Internet explorations, magazines, newspaper cut-out, books and journals were the instruments of data collection. Improperly disarmed, demobilised, rehabilitated and reintegrated of the ex-combatants and displaced populations coupled with different scales of human suffering and rights violation, corrupt practices, absence of true democratic governance, sustainable economy plans, etc. were identified as factors that proliferated insecurity across the country. Failure of government to impact democratically on social system metamorphosed into different agitations and protests. Poor visionary and committed leaders were attributed to the parlous state of post-conflict situations to the extent that citizens found it difficult to vote for any candidates due to lack of trust and confidence building. Suggestions for sustainable peace and true democratic practices were proffered.

Treatment of crop residues with some species of fungi can enhance their digestibility. This study investigated changes in the nutrient composition of Cassava Starch Residue (CSR) biodegraded with two selected fungi: Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma viride. The experimental designed was a 3x4 factorial arrangement. Biodegradation of CSR for 21days at 30⁰C recorded a significant biomass loss of 33.11% (A. niger), followed by 30.01% (combination of A. niger x T. viride) compared to 27.44% (T. viride). The crude protein  increased significantly (P>0.05)  from 4.05% to 7.16%, 6.84% and 6.88% within 14days for A. niger, T. viride and combination of  A. niger x T. viride respectively. Similarly, the fibre in Cassava Starch Residue decreased from 17.07% to 10.31%, 12.83% and 11.89% for the A. niger, T. viride and combination A. niger x T. viride treatments respectively with a corresponding effect of 2897.1%kcal/kgDM, 2719.2kcal/kgDM and 2739.1kcal/kgDM in the level of metabolisable energy. Cellulose was extensively degraded in all the treatments (P>0.05) than the hemicellulose.  Results of this study suggests that fungal biodegradation of whole cassava starch residue is regulated by a complex combination of various factors and consequently enhanced its nutritional profile.

Water is life and every human activity revolves round its availability. Inadequate hydrological data on River Osun has discouraged researchers from modelling water quality across the river. This study modelled water quality across the river using Hydrologic Engineering Centre River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software. Forty (40) water samples were collected from upstream (70 45' 26", 40 37' 22") (Kajola, Owode), midstream (70 44' 17", 40 33' 20") (Oke-Jetu, Isale-Osun), and downstream (70 45' 06", 40 32' 41") (Gbodofon, Ebunoluwa) sampling stations on River Osun from May 2015 to January 2016. Physical [Temperature and Total Dissolve Solid (TDS)], Chemical [Carbonaceous Oxygen Demand, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrate-Nitrogen, Nitrite-Nitrogen, and Orthophosphate] and Biological (BOD) tests were carried out on the water samples using standard procedure (APHA, 2005). These parameters were input into HEC-RAS software to simulate water quality on River Osun. Three hundred (300) developed questionnaires on the prevalence of water borne diseases in Osogbo were distributed to households and health workers. Pearson correlation Coefficients (PCC) was used to analyse the data at 5% significance level. Temperature and TDS for rainy and dry season varied from (24.9 - 28.9)0C and (29.0 -339)0C; (90 -110) mg/l; (41.9 - 64.3) mg/l, respectively. The temporal variation of DO, NO3-N, NO2-N and PO43- for rainy and dry seasons parameters varied from (5.2 - 7.6) mg/l and (3.21 - 6.10) mg/l; (0.00 -7.41) mg/l and (9.0 - 19.3); (0.207 - 0.622) and (0.715 - 1.145) mg/l; (3.64 - 5.91) mg/l and (4.04 - 6.21) mg/l, respectively. The BOD values ranged from (0.4 -2 .0) mg/l and (1.93 - 2.96) mg/l, respectively for the rainy and dry seasons. Significance correlation (p< 0.05, 16 df) does occur between the pair of resident with water borne diseases and stations at upstream and midstream of the river in water samples with high pollution sources, there is low correlation (p<0.05 16 and 14 df) between the pair of other stations across the river and residents with water borne diseases. The DO, CBOD, NO3-N, NO2-N, and PO43- output from HEC-RAS for rainy and dry seasons varied from (5.6 -7.4) mg/l and (3.391-5.828) mg/l; (14.81 -15.69) mg/l and (15.87-15.93) mg/l; (0.235 - 5.43827) mg/l and (13.24 -19.1) mg/l; (0.806484 - 1.22) and (0.2085 - 0.4041) mg/l; (3.76-5.16) mg/l and (4.12 - 4.88) mg/l , respectively across the river. The result can be useful to trace the pollution sources and develop water resources management towards achieving Vision 20:2020.

This paper focused on management of electronic resources in Private Universities in South-West Nigeria with the main objective of finding out the level of implementation of Electronic Resources Management Software (ERMS) in the management of electronic information resources in these universities. The survey method was used and questionnaire was distributed to the Systems Librarians within the universities selected. Findings show that ERMS awareness among the Systems Librarians is high while the level of implementation in managing electronic resources is still very low. It was further found out that electronic resources are not being catalogued/classified in the universities under study. Part of the suggestions offered is that University Libraries should, as a matter of professionalism and importance, introduce ERMS software in the management of their electronic resources.

The overall performance of construction firm is affected by productivity of its employees. This study employed work study approach to empirically establish the relationships between tradesmen demographic information and labour output on plastering and rendering operations. The data gathered were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that tradesmen age, their mode of employment, educational qualification, years of experience, quality of surfaces, shape of structure, and period of the day; have influence on the level of productivity of masons. It was concluded that the demographic characteristics of construction operatives/tradesmen affect labour output for plastering and rendering operations.

The growth hormone concentrations of 25 male students of Madonna University, Elele within the age group of 19-27years were determined pre and post exercise and compared. Growth hormone levels were assayed using the commercially available Human Growth Hormone quantitative test kit whose principle is based on a solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data generated was calculated statistically using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17. The result showed significant difference in 4.23 ± 0.90 ng/ml in pre exercise and 15.13 ± 1.83 ng/ml in post exercise (P<0.05).There was significant increase in growth hormone pre and Post exercise at different age groups 19-21years(3.61 ± 0.90 ng/ml and 16.18 ± 4.40 ng/ml), 22-24(2.35 ± 0.77 ng/ml and 14.64 ± 2.09 ng/ml) and 25-27 (9.71 ± 2.91 ng/ml and 14.65 ± 4.14 ng/ml). The study has shown that exercise can affect concentration of growth hormone.

The study was carried out to determine the variations in growth hormone secretion in females between morning and evening. Blood samples were collected from 60 females at Elele, both in the morning and evening. The samples were assayed using ELISA-based Growth hormone assay to quantitate the growth hormone concentrations of these females between morning and evening. The result showed a significant increase in growth hormone secretion in the morning (4.70±0.54ng/ml) compared with (2.02±0.23ng/ml) obtained in the evening (P<0.05). Females less than 20 years of age (20 subjects) had the highest secretion in the morning (4.99±0.98) compared with the evening (2.35±0.35) while females within 20-30 years had4.58±1.04 and1.54±0.33 for morning and evening respectively. Females within 30-40 age group had 4.53±0.80 and 2.18±0.50 for morning and evening respectively. The result of this study suggest that Growth hormone pulse amplitude increased significantly in the morning after the onset of a night sleep (4.70±0.54) and was significantly greater than the secretion rate in the evening(2.02±0.23).

Seeds bags of Moringa oleifera were transplanted into a field on the Teaching and Research Farm of Ekiti State University, Ado- Ekiti, Nigeria at 30 x 40cm (81,833 plants ha-1), 40 x 60cm (41,667 plant ha-1), 60 x 80cm (20, 833 plant ha-1) and 100 x 100cm (10,000 plants ha-1). Cured poultry manure was applied at 3MT.ha-1 one week before transplanting and thereafter at two month interval. No fertilizer or irrigation was applied throughout the duration of the experiment. Fodder was harvested from the top to tender stems at 60 days after transplanting and fresh and dry weights were measured. Regrowths were harvested at 30-day intervals during the wet (60, 90, 120 and 150 days after transplanting) and dry (210, 240, 270 and 300 days after transplanting) season. Regrowth height was measured at each cutting day and harvesting involved the tender portion of stem. The 30 x 40cm spacing produced the highest fodder yield (14.89 ton ha-1) which was significantly higher than other spacings. Fodder yield in the wet season (7.6MT.ha-1) was significantly higher than that of dry season (2.79MT.ha-1). Also, there was a positive correlation between the fodder yield and the amount of precipitation in all the months under study. However, plant spacing did not significantly affect regrowth height (p> 0.05) of Moringa oleifera in this area. It was therefore concluded that the agronomic potentials of Moringa oleifera is implicated for its use as an alternative feed resource for small ruminants in South Western Nigeria.

The development of the field was considered by running the cashflow analysis and establishing the economic indications. The one-well scenario was only able to produce 50% of EUR (2.8MMbbl) while the two-well scenario gave up to 80% EUR (4.7MMbbl) before abandonment rate for a field life of about 15 years. The cashflow analysis showed an attractive marginal project with positive Net Present Value for the $50/bbl base oil price scenario and the contractor’s take was estimated to be about 22% of the total share. The greatest effect on the NPV was seen from the Petroleum Profit Tax and the oil price in the sensitivity analysis which is negative and positive respectively. OWA marginal field reflects a typical low reserve development category and with effective cost management even at extreme low crude oil prices, a marginal profit can be ascertained and eventually fostering the Nigeria economy.

Field study of Basaanga and Fugar Sandstone was embarked upon in order to determine lithostratigraphy profile, their relationship and laboratory studies including granulometric, heavy mineral, and petrographic analysis. The research studies were aimed towards understudying stratigraphic stacking pattern, textural parameters such as grain size, sorting, transportation history, paleoenvironment of deposition and provenance. The Bassanga Sandstone revealed angular grained basal conglomerate deposited on basement rock by flash flood (fluvial) processes deposited close to the source; overlain by fining-upward sequence in cyclic manner with azimuth of ~2500 paleocurrent direction. Laboratory data deductions show that the average grain size (-0.05 to 2.67 ?) vary from fine to coarse; sorting (0.18 to 0.86) varies from moderately sorted through moderately well sorted to very well sorted; skewness (0.16 to 4.15) varies from fine to strongly fine skewed. ZTR index (10.0 to 43.2%) from heavy mineral study suggests submature to matured sediment while thin section analysis shows texturally and compositionally mature to sub-mature sublitharenite tending strongly to quartzarenitic rock. The Bassanga sediments were transported by southwest paleocurrent and deposited in fluvial setting. However, Fugar Sandstone is fine grained (2.14-2.98?), herringbone structured, fairly bioturbated unit deposited in marginal marine environment; very well sorted (0.18 to 0.28), and strongly fine skewed (2.78-4.5). ZTR index varies from 35.9-50.0% suggestive of mineralogically immature sediments sourced from metamorphic rock (NW) and deposited by paleocurrent in southeasterly direction.

Scientists all over the world have been concern for the earth due to the effect of climate change that has now become a matter of discuss. The effect of climate change is not only limited to several natural disasters such as Tsunami, melting of ice Berge, high rise water bodies etc. It has been agreed that mitigating the effect of climate change can be achieved through reforestation and replanting of trees in the forest. To ensure that climate change is mitigated holistically, all hand must be on deck. As such implementing the use of treated wood to forestall needless replacement of wood due to failure resulting from fungi decay and insect attack is another practical approach to ensure that the forest the major player in mitigating climate change is kept intact. It is therefore recommended that government policy should include ensuring that wood meant for building construction is given necessary treatment before installation to safeguard the integrity of the forest.

A simple Okra threshing machine was designed, fabricated and tested to alleviate the problems associated with Okra processing in Nigeria. It is consists mainly of five units namely, the feeding assembly, the threshing unit, separation unit, power transmission unit. The overall mean threshing and cleaning efficiencies obtained were 93.95 and 99.56% respectively. Drum speed 500rpm combine with 55mm concave clearance gave the highest Threshing efficiency of 99.99%. All speeds, concave clearance combinations gave clearing efficiency above 98%. The machine threshing and cleaning efficiencies increased with increase in drum speed and decrease with increase in concave clearance. The machine is simple to operate and maintain without formal training.

Effect of roasting temperature and time on the total polyphenols, flavonoids, total antioxidants and antioxidant properties of tigernut was studied using response surface methodology. Tigernut samples were roasted in an oven at the range of 150 – 200oC for 20 – 50 min. Out of the responses, only radical scavenging activity was not significantly affected by the roasting conditions. Roasting temperature affected the antioxidant contents significantly (p > 0.05) than roasting time. The optimum roasting temperature and time obtained was 200 oC for 20 min. The experimental values were very close to the predicted values and were not significantly (p > 0.05) different.

Farming today has gone beyond subsistence farming that produces for the farmer and his household. Research shows that the consumption of grains or cereal crops is at an alarming rate in the world, so to encourage small farm holders a manually operated multi-crop hand push planter with changeable metering devices for cowpea, maize and soybean was designed, fabricated and evaluated to improve planting efficiency and reduce drudgery involved in manual planting method. The laboratory and field tests were conducted to determine weight of seeds discharged from the planter, seed percentage damage, field capacity, average depth of placement of seeds in furrow, average inter-row spacing of seeds and the emergence of the seedlings. Results revealed that the planter had field efficiency and field capacity of 76.3% and 0.39 ha/hr with seed rate of 0.25 kg/ha, 0.18 kg/ha and 0.21kg/ha respectively for cowpea, maize and soybean. Percentage difference between the seed damage of 3.54%, 2.32% and 1.32% of cowpea, maize and soybean respectively obtained was from an average spacing of 40.8cm and depth of 3.98cm. The single-row multi-crop planter is very simple to use and it is maintenance free, except for the bearings which needs to be lubricated from time to time to allow the planter's ground wheel to move freely. For this design, the drive shaft directly controls the seed metering mechanism which eliminates completely attachments such as pulleys, belt systems, and gears thereby eliminating complexities which increase cost, and increasing efficiency at a highly reduced cost which is the focus of this project work. The planter can be easily maintained without any technicality and all materials used for the fabrication are locally available in the case of worn - out parts.

A novel method for analytical detection of H2O2 based on ruthenium nanoparticles (RuNPs) functionalized chemically reduced graphene (CRGR) nanocomposite is developed. The RuNPs/CRGR nanocomposite was characterized employing different techniques, such as transmitted electron microscope (TEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). The RuNPs/CRGR nanocomposite sensor exhibits higher catalytic effect to H2O2 by greatly enhancing the reduction peak current and completely eliminating the interference of other species as compared with a bare electrode. A fast amperometric response was observed by the RuNPs/CRGR electrode with a linear range from 10 to 170 µM and lower detection limit of 0.16±0.01 µM as compared to some other reports. The high reproducibility, specificity as well as long time stability obtained with the proposed sensor indicated that the present method is an effective for H2O2 determination.

The duct model used here is that Kahan and Eckart [1950]. The source of the electromagnetic field is taken to a vertical magnetic dipole in the upper surface layer, with an arbitrary time – varying moment , we can determine the transient behaviour of the electric field strength at any distance above the duct .The paper presents a method which allows the calculation of the atmospheric distortion of radar pulse , provided that the influence of the atmosphere is to transfer the transmitted signal through a duct .the polarization of the primary source whose moment varies arbitrarily in time, is chosen in such a way that it allows the exact determination of the electric field strength at some field point above the duct layer .From the physical point of view. Cahniard s idea is applicable as it is based on evaluating the field in a series of image sources of the primary source. The step – function solution of the problem can then be determined as an infinite integrals over finite integrals. Two cases would be distinguished on the basis of the distance between the receiving and transmitting ends and whether it is greater or lesser than the total reflection distance.

The present study was intended to investigate possible relationships of the development of EFL teachers’ possible selves with teacher efficacy and students’ achievement. Eighty seven teachers selected from different Language Institutes participated in this study and filled in EFL teachers’ Possible Selves Development Questionnaire as well as Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES). The participants were also requested to specify the mean scores of the achievement tests they administered to their students in the previous term. The results of data analysis indicated significant relationships of teachers’ possible selves development with their self-efficacy and students’ achievement. To investigate which components of possible selves might have more predictive power in predicting teacher’s self-efficacy and student’s achievement, regression analysis was run. The four subscales of possible selves – ideal, ought-to, actual, and feared selves- were found to be good predictors of teacher self-efficacy and only three subscales of possible selves including ideal, ought-to, and actual selves were strongly correlated with student’s achievement. We conclude by suggesting that a sense of self-efficacy as well as a concern for students’ achievement should be incorporated into the possible selves of EFL teachers.

This paper proposes Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for the required DC-DC Converter Duty Cycle feeding Maximum Power to resistive load to be used for distributed generation (DG) applications. It proposes a PV module when coupled to a load through DC-DC Converter to supply this resistive load with the maximum power from the PV module. Some of DC-DC converters topologies are discussed in brief with concentration on Cúk and SEPIC Converters operations. The mechanism of load matching is described to give the required converter duty cycle at maximum power point (MPP). Relations in 3D figures are introduced for the most probable situations for irradiance and temperature with the corresponding PV voltage and current. Also, 3D figures for the desired duty cycle, output voltage and current of DC-DC converter to gain the maximum power to the resistive load at various irradiance and temperature values. Moreover; Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used to implement a neural model with its algebraic function to take the probable system situations and outs the proposed converter duty cycle to give maximum power for the load. All the neural model are done with their hidden and output layers’ suitable neurons numbers and suitable performance goals depending on the 3D simulation figures shown in the paper.

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of using treated wastewater on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of festuca in greenhouse conditions in Sa'dabad of the Dashtestan, Iran. Experiment was performed in a randomized complete block design with 5 treatments and 4 replicates. Treatments included: fresh water, fresh water + 25% treated wastewater, fresh water + 50% treated wastewater, fresh water + 75% treated wastewater, and 100% treated wastewater. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the impact of wastewater had significant effect on growth and physiological characteristics. Root weight (5.7 g), leaf weight (2.3 g), leaf area (7/54), root length (29 cm) and plant height (9.9 cm) showed a significant increase in compared to the control. In relation to the characteristics of protein, phosphorus and ash, the same trend was observed.

Cross-cultural Differences in Managing Businesses: Applying Hofstede Cultural Analysis in Germany, Canada, South Korea and Morocco Abstract Recently, expansion to new markets is a common thing for international business. Nevertheless, any decision to expand should be preceded by a thorough analysis of all possible obstacles. Culture is among the most significant factors influencing the business model. Therefore, it is of critical importance to demonstrate cross-cultural competence while making any decision to establish business in a foreign country. The purpose of this study is aimed at providing support for the decision-making process related to expanding business to other countries. This study utilizes Hofstede cultural analysis applied to four countries including Germany, Canada, South Korea and Morocco. Basing on the findings it is possible to better understand the peculiarities of each country in terms of their cultural differences including the following factors: power distance, individualism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and indulgence. The results of analysis are gathered in a table offering brief information on each reviewed country. Moreover, this paper reviews business opportunities and potential conflicts in the above-mentioned countries. Keywords: Establishing business, foreign countries; Cross-Cultural Differences, Hofstede Cultural Analysis, power distance, individualism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation and indulgence

The spectrophotometric characteristics of the solid charge-transfer molecular complexes (CT) formed in the reaction of the electron donor 5-amino-1-methyl-3-phenypyrazole (AMPP) with the ?-acceptors tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and ?-acceptor iodine have been studied in chloroform at 25 0C. These were investigated through electronic and infrared spectra as well as elemental analysis. The results show that the formed solid CT- complexes have the formulas [(AMPP)(TCNE)], [(AMPP)(TCNQ)] and [(AMPP) I]+ I3- in full agreement with the known reaction stoichiometry in solution as well as the elemental measurements. The formation constant kCT, molar extinction coefficient ?CT, free energy change ?G0 and ECT energy have been calculated for the CT- complexes [(AMPP)(TCNE)], [(AMPP)(TCNQ)] and [(AMPP) I]+I-3.

The study investigated the profitability of catfish enterprises in Ede South Local government area of Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 59 small scale catfish farmers were purposively sampled in this study. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse the socio-economic characteristics, while budgetary analysis was used to determine the profitability, and multiple regression analysis was the inferential statistic used. The result of the survey revealed that 54.24 percent of the fish farmers were male. About 81.3 percent of the fish farmers were married. 59.81% of the farmers fall between the ages of 31-40years. About 62.71 percent of the farmers had tertiary educational qualifications.Most of the fish farmer (39.1%) produced between 5,400 -10,500kg. The mean production of fish farmer was 5,750.85kg.The total variable cost was ?24,623,997. The revenue was ?252,000,000 per annum. The gross margin was ?227,376,003 per annum and the net farm income was ?189,589,795 per annum. The analysis of the benefit cost ratio (BCR) and the rate of returns revealed that catfish enterprise is profitable in the study area. The factors that significantly affect fish output in the study area include: quantity of feed, quantity of labour, quantity of fingerlings, total pond size.

This paper investigated yield determinants among catfish farmers in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State. A total of 65 catfish farmers were purposively selected for the study. The analytical technique employed include: Descriptive Analysis, Budgetary Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse the socio-economic characteristics;Budgetary Analysis was used to determine the profitability of the enterprise; and Multiple Regression Analysis was used to analyse the determinants of catfish yield in the study area. The various profitability ratios such as Expense Structure Ratio (0.76), Benefit Cost Ratio (3.13), Gross Revenue Ratio (0.45)and Rate of Return (0.96)indicated that catfish farming enterprise is profitable in the study area. The factors that significantly affect catfish output in the study area are: quantity of feed, quantity of labour, quantity of fingerlings and total pond size. Quantity of labour, quantity of fingerlings and total pond size had positive relationship with output of fish, while quantity of feed had an inverse relationship with yield output of catfish.

Two problems often crop up in adaptive sampling. One, it may not be feasible to sample according to a designated sampling plan. And two, the prescribed sampling plan may result in very small selection probabilities for some units thereby giving large weights to such units in estimation. In order to ameliorate these problems, a regression procedure that combines design and model-based techniques of estimation is proposed. Adaptive sampling designs are designs in which additional units or sites for observation are selected depending on the interpretation of observations made during initial sampling. Additional sampling is driven by the observed results from an initial sample. The results from this study demonstrate that the existing Horvitz-Thompson estimator for adaptive cluster sampling can be improved using model assistance.

In today’s globalised and competitive economic environment, insurance companies are continually faced with situation of risk where decisions are taken in the face of uncertainty. The variability of claim costs and the challenge of estimating the cost of insurance at inception of the policy make it necessary for companies to frequently assess the credibility upon which pricing, valuation and other product management decisions are made. The accuracy of estimated future claim costs plays a fundamental role in determining the underwriting profit of these insurers. This study proposed an industry-wide information based experience rating in a regulated and competitive Nigeria business environment for credible underwriting and profitability. The proposed structure incorporates various initiatives for having in place reliable, up-to-date, efficient and effective statistical system such as the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics (MAPS), General Data Dissemination System (GDDS), Partnerships in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21), the Reference Regional Strategic Framework for Statistical Capacity Building in Africa (RRSF), National Strategies for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) and AFRISAT. It also integrates variation in expected claim costs from insurer to insurer in the industry, variation between expected claim costs from group to group for a given insurer, and variation from insured to insured within a group. Inferences can be made about the industry’s average, companies’ average and group-specific average.

This paper investigated the hedonic analysis of consumers’ preference on the cowpea in the Ibadan metropolis. 100 cowpea sellers were selected by a purposive random sampling technique in five major markets in Ibadan.79% of the respondents were female while the rest 21% of them were male. 89% of the respondents sell a combination of varieties i.e. Peu/Drum, Sokoto, Mala, Olo and Oloyin for their nutritive value, popularity and availability which may be used for boiled whole grain cooking, fried cowpea balls (akara), and steamed cowpea cake (moin-moin). 75% of the respondents do not use any chemical to store cowpea grains.Also, analysis of Covariance model which was used capture price-quality relationship of the type of cowpea purchased by consumers revealed that there is a significant relationship between the number of holes in each of the cowpea varieties and their respective prices in the various markets sampled in the study area. Hence, the numbers of holes appear to be the major determining factors affecting the prices of various cowpea types in the study area.

This study analyse efficiency and productivity changes in ECOWAS agriculture using the Hicks-Moorsteen TFP index developed by O’Donnell (2008, 2009, 2010c). This approach has an advantage over the popular Malmquist productivity index in that it is free from any assumptions associated with firm optimising behaviour, the structure of markets, or return to scale. ECOWAS agriculture is inefficient over the entire period as the most of the measures of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency over the entire period considered (1961-2009) have their efficiency estimates that were less than unity. The inefficiency of the measures of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency over the entire period (1961 - 2009) may be due to weak human assets, a high degree of economic vulnerability, increasing trend towards urbanization, limitation of exports to few commodities, low export earnings, low capital formation, food insecurity and poor rural development as well as ineffective implementation of both regional and national policies due to poor knowledge of the determinants of agricultural productivity and their degrees. The declining behaviour of technical changes (?Tech) over the entire period (1961-2009) reveals that agriculture sector in all ECOWAS member states are not operating on the same point on the production possibilities set as well as changes in the economic, political and social environment of ECOWAS member states as it tends to capture the effects of technological change and the long term effects of inefficiency of both regional and national policies (with the inclusion of agricultural policies over the entire years) among the ECOWAS member states.