Analysis of Determinants of Agribusiness investment in a Young Economy: Nigeria (1999 -2008)

The study examined determinants of agribusiness investment in Nigeria. Data for the study are time series collected on quarterly basis from publications of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and National Population Commission (NPC). Some firms’ specific data were collected from published and unpublished records of forty (40) agribusiness enterprises randomly selected in Nigeria. Vector Auto Regression (VAR) model was used to analyze the data. Among the determinants of agribusiness investment in Nigeria analyzed by the study, tax paid, market size and exchange rate were found to be statistically significant at 5% probability level. Based on the results, it was recommended that government should enforce the policy on five-year tax holiday for young agribusiness firms and also establish Agribusiness Investment Protection Agency which will be charged with the responsibility of liaising with other relevant agencies to create enabling environment for agribusiness firms

Impact on Undefined Normal Tissue by using different combination of Normal Tissue Objective and Dose Control Ring in IMRT Plans for Cervix cancer

Introduction: The normal tissue objective (NTO) is a tool used in inverse planning of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) to reduce dose spreading to surrounding normal tissues. The multitude of potential NTO setting combinations challenges optimal NTO tunning. In addition to NTO, Dose Control Ring (DCR) around the target may impact plan quality. Aim and Objective: To find the impact on Undefined Normal Tissue (UNT) by using the different combinations of NTO and DCR in IMRT Plans for Cervical cancer plans. Materials and Methods: Our sample consists of 30 patients with similar treatment prescription doses. Varian Eclipse Treatment Planning System (TPS) of Version13.6 was used in this study. 5 different plans were created for each patient. In every plan beam energy, several beams, Beam angle, Optimization algorithm - Photon optimizer (PO), Calculation algorithm – Anisotropic analytic algorithm (AAA)and evaluation methods were maintained constant. 5 plans were different only in the optimization process. Before generating plans DCR of thickness 1.0 cm and 0.5 cm away from the Planning Target Volume (PTV) was created. The plan with different combinations between NTO and DCR were A. Without NTO, B. Automatic NTO, C. Manual NTO, D. Automatic NTO + DCR, E. Manual NTO + DCR generated. The plan quality was evaluated by comparing PTV: Conformity Index (CI), Homogeneity Index, OAR Doses and mean dose to UNT. Results: HI was better without NTO plans compared to all other plans. CI and OAR doses show a significant difference in Manual NTO along with DCR plans. The mean dose of UNT was less in Manual NTO along with DCR compared to all other plans and it was significantly less. Conclusion: This study shows that manual NTO + Dose Control Ring gives better plan quality in terms of PTV coverage and less dose to Undefined Normal Tissue by maintaining Organ at Risk dose within the tolerance limits

Assessment of Risk in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Structure of Abia State, Nigeria

The study assessed risk in the Internally Generated Revenue structure of Abia State, Nigeria. The specific objectives included (I) estimation of factors and significant input variables influencing risk in IGR structure of the State and (II) examination of risk reducing practices. Data which were collected from 50 management staffs of revenue yielding Ministries, departments and agencies in Abia State were analysed with factor analysis, Tobit regression analysis and descriptive statistics. The results of the factor analysis grouped the significant input variables which scored 0.33 and above into institutional and non-institutional sources of risk while that of Tobit regression analysis revealed that significant variables which cause variation between expected and realised IGR of the State are lack of database; mismanagement of fund by government; delay in payment of revenue by tax payers; difficulty in tracking tax evaders; and weak internal control mechanism. The results point to the fact that policy on tax identification number (TIN) should be strengthened and linked to the bank account of the tax payer so that relevant revenues are deducted at source

Evidence for Phytoremediation and Phytoexcretion of NTO from Industrial Wastewater by Vetiver Grass

The use of insensitive munitions such as 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) is rapidly increasing and is expected to replace conventional munitions in the near future. Various NTO treatment technologies are being developed for the treatment of wastewater from industrial munition facilities. This is the first study to explore the potential phytoremediation of industrial NTO-wastewater using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.). Here, we present evidence that vetiver can effectively remove NTO from wastewater, and also translocated NTO from root to shoot. NTO was phytotoxic and resulted in a loss of plant biomass and chlorophyll. The metabolomic analysis showed significant differences between treated and control samples, with the upregulation of specific pathways such as glycerophosphate metabolism and amino acid metabolism, providing a glimpse into the stress alleviation strategy of vetiver. One of the mechanisms of NTO stress reduction was the excretion of solid crystals. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the presence of NTO crystals in the plant exudates. Further characterization of the exudates is in progress to ascertain the purity of these crystals, and if vetiver could be used for phytomining NTO from industrial wastewater

Complex magnetism in Ni₃TeO₆-type Co₃TeO₆ and high-pressure polymorphs of Mn_3-xCo_xTeO₆ solid solutions

International audienceNew Ni3TeO6-type (NTO) and double perovskite (DPv) polymorphs of Co3TeO6 are synthesised at pressures of 15 GPa. A complex elliptic helical magnetic order is observed in the NTO polymorph (TN1 = 58 K) that reorientates (42 K) and further splits (TN2 = 23.5 K) creating a coexisting helix. Increasing Co content within the Mn3-xCoxTeO6 system changes the dominant DPv phase to NTO structural type and drastically modifies the magnetic behaviour. DPv Co3TeO6 is the first A-site double cobaltite

Removal of Perfluorinated Grease Components from NTO Oxidizer

Perfluorinated greases are typically used as a thread lubricant in the assembly of non-welded nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) oxidizer systems. These greases, typically a perfluoroalkylether, with suspended polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) micro-powder, have attractive lubricating properties toward threaded components and are relatively chemically inert toward NTO oxidizers. A major drawback, however, is that perfluoroalkylether greases are soluble or dispersible in NTO oxidizers and can contaminate the propellant. The result is propellant that fails the non-volatile residue (NVR) specification analyses and that may have negative effects on test hardware performance and lifetime. Consequently, removal of the grease contaminants from NTO may be highly desirable. Methods for the removal of perfluorinated grease components from NTO oxidizers including distillation, adsorption, filtration, and adjustment of temperature are investigated and reported in this work. Solubility or dispersibility data for the perfluoroalkylether oil (Krytox(tm)143 AC) component of a perfluorinated grease (Krytox 240 AC) and for Krytox 240 AC in NTO were determined and are reported