A Study of Valuation Clients Perception on Mortgage Valuation Reliability

The effect of overvaluation and undervaluation cannot be over emphasized in any economy. Valuation opinions are very crucial to the operations and business dealings of the clients that seek valuer’s advice in decision making. Wrong opinion of value has caused strain in many business dealings. This paper studies the perception of clients on reliability of mortgage valuation in Nigeria. A sample size of 50 lending institutions was randomly chosen representing 57.5% of the target population in Lagos State, the study area. The study used descriptive statistic to analyse the data. The study reveals that clients are of the opinion that valuations produced by valuers were not reliable. This is as a result of the experiences they were having with large disparity between the final opinion of values of those properties on default mortgage that were foreclosed and the final sales price. The study therefore concludes that the estate surveyors and valuers in the country owe their clients a duty of care by presenting accurate and reliable valuation reports since other stakeholders of the real property investors depend on these reports for their investment decision

Prospects and Challenges of Cities Micro Green Economy: A Study of Horticulture Practices in Lagos, Nigeria

This paper is aimed at understanding various planning laws and regulations that serve as hindrance to green economy in Nigerian cities. The study is focused on the horticulture practices in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos. This is a form of green economy that was not considered during the preparation of the master plan of the area. The survey for the study was conducted on two (2) occasions (2008 and 2013). This was shortly before planning activities become highly intensive during the 6th republic and in the 7th republic. The study purposively sampled all the commercial horticultural gardens available at the two (2) periods; these are 63 and 39 in 2008 and 2013 respectively. Findings revealed that about 24 (38%) of the gardens has been lost due to strict application of development control regulations in the space of five (5) years. Result also revealed that over N14, 570,000 worth of investment and N11,070,000 annual profit were affected. About 34 employment opportunities were affected and the source of livelihood for over 100 people has been destabilised or block. The study recommended the inclusion of commercial horticulture practice as an integral part of urban land use and the modification of planning laws and regulations to suit such practices that have multiplier effects (advantages) on the citizenry and the urban environment. The study concluded that although commercial horticulture practice had little contribution where only few people were employed, it is still less few people who are food insecure or those who lack employment. The multiplier effect that entrepreneurial gardens can create through their enterprise is significant: not only does it strengthen the local economy by creating economic opportunities for other people and businesses, but it addressed other multiple problems such as environmental pollution and climate change

EFFECT OF RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION OF YOUTHS ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN OGBOMOSO SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE. NIGERIA

The study examined the effect of rural-urban migration of youth on rural development in Ogbomoso South Local Government Area of Oyo State. Rural-urban migration is a phenomenon that most developing nations of the world are experiencing due to the gross neglect of the rural areas. In Nigeria, the issue of rural-urban migration is quite alarming owing to the discriminatory centralization of facilities in the urban areas as well as widening income gap between the urban and rural areas. This study adopted a descriptive survey research design while purposive sampling technique was used in selecting 300 from Ogbomoso south LGAs.  The data collected was tested by using Pearson product moment correlation and ANOVA. The study established that self-help project had significant relationship with youth out-migration (r = .351*, N= 300, P < .05), community economy  also had significant relationship with out-migration (r = .277*, N= 300, P < .05), care for elderly had negative significant relationship with out-migration(r = -.182*, N= 300, P < .05) and cultural practices also had significant relationship with out-migration (r = .198*, N= 300, P < .05). The study recommended  that; government should decentralize its developmental projects and programmes in order to accommodate the rural areas. Government should make agriculture attractive for rural dwellers so that they could see it as a profitable occupation and there should be economic incentives to promote adaptation of indigenous skills and technologies in the rural areas.

An Evaluation of Property Portfolio Diversification Strategies in Nigeria.

This paper identifies diversification strategies adopted in the Nigerian property market and evaluates the effectiveness of the strategies with a view to determining the benefits of each strategy to investors and also moves the profession in Nigeria forward towards meeting the global trends. This is against the background of greater unpredictability and volatility in the Nigeria property market and the increasing need for investors to diversify risk of their portfolios. Questionnaires backed up with interviews, were administered on 28 institutional property investors in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt metropolitan areas. Pooled data on rental transactions and capital values for the period of 1998 – 2003 involving 76 properties were also collected from the investors. Data were analysed with the use of frequency distribution, relative importance index, Sharpe’s Index and mean/standard deviation ratio. The study’s results showed that “property type” and “geographic naïve diversification” were the preferred strategies in the Nigerian property market and that these strategies did not give the best protection to investors’ portfolios against the risk situation in the market. The results of the evaluation revealed that the best strategy would be to adopt efficient portfolio strategy and invest better proportions of a real estate portfolio in residential properties located in Lagos metropolitan area

Application of Split Desktop Image Analysis and Kuz-Ram Empirical Model for Evaluation of Blast Fragmentation Efficiency in a Typical Granite Quarry

Evaluation of fragmentation efficiency is an integral aspect of blasting operation. This study therefore assesses the efficiency of fragmentation size at Eminent granite quarry, Ibadan, Nigeria using Split Desktop software and Kuz-Ram empirical model. Five muckpiles of blasted rocks with the same blast design were analysed. The muckpile images were captured using smart high precision digital camera and uploaded into computer for Split Desktop analysis. The results of the fragment size distribution obtained from Kuz-Ram vary slightly with that of the Split Desktop but follow similar trend. The average values of F80 and F90 from the Split Desktop image analysis were 90.96 cm and 98.24 cm respectively. The Kuz-Ram model values for F80 and F90 were 88.52 cm and 92.95 cm respectively. The results of the Split Desktop were compared to the results obtained from the Kuz-Ram experiential model. The findings showed that the results obtained from Kuz-Ram empirical model were in conformity with the results from the Split Desktop software based on empirical relationship. Hence, the model is good for preliminary evaluation of blast design.   Keywords: Blasting, Particle Size Distribution, Split Desktop Software, Muckpile, Fragmentation Indicato

The Impact of COVID-19 on Building Energy Consumption in New York City

Since February 2020, the spread of COVID-19 affected the world economy, with the population of people contacting the virus in New York City at that time being at the highest in the United States of America. Thus, the need for remote/online learning was adopted for the safety of faculty, staffs, and students of New York Educational institution like CCNY. In the study, I focused on energy consumption as regards to COVID and POST-COVID periods in New York City (NYC), since most employees are working from home and schools are online which implies that most commercial buildings are vacant. Also due to the high rate of COVID-19 cases in NYC, some people relocated to other places with lower cases. Therefore, I considered how this affects energy consumption of both commercial and residential buildings. Furthermore, I obtained data from the New York City Department of Planning database also known as PLUTO (Public Land Use and Tax Lot database) for building energy consumption in NYC before COVID and compared it to data retrieved during COVID, then I predicted what will happen to post-COVID building energy consumption. I analyzed these data using data analyzing software like MATLAB, Python, Excel etc. For my stimulations on EnergyPlus, I could not get data for NYC, but I had to use data retrieved in Chicago, Illinois which is relatively close to that of NYC. I was able to give my prediction and recommendations based on the correlation that was obtained from the analysis. Also, I briefly discussed how the NYC governing council can help solve any potential problems or put policies in place to help improve building energy saving mechanism. I also gave suggestions on how occupants of buildings especially residential buildings can adopt energy saving behaviors to help save cost of energy consumption. In addition, I used Google Sketchup Pro and Google Earth to get the 3-dimensional model of Steinman Hall including the underground floors. Then, I ran some stimulations with varying population of occupants in the building using Google Sketchup Pro with OpenStudio and EnergyPlus. After I obtained the stimulation results from OpenStudio and EnergyPlus, I analyzed and interpreted the results. I also gave my prediction and recommendations based on the correlation that was obtained from the analysis. Also, I discussed how energy efficient systems like solar panels can be implemented to help improve the building energy saving mechanism

Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Phthalocyanine Complex Using Substituted 4-Nitrophthalonitrile Ligand

In this research work, four compounds: 4-nitrophthalamide, 4-nitrophthalonitrile and 4-(ciproxy) phthalonitrile and phthalocyanine complex were synthesized. The synthesis began with the nitration in the position 4 of phthalamide which led to the formation of 4-nitrophthalamide. Dehydration by the thionyl chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) led to the formation of 4-nitrophthalonitrile and further reaction of ciprofloxacin with 4-nitrophthalonitrile in DMF forms the phthalonitrile derivative, cyclotetramerization of 4-(ciproxy) phthalonitrile in the presence of nickel salt gave substituted metal phthalocyanine complex. The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized by NMR, FT-IR spectrophotometry and UV-VIS. Melting point of the compounds ware checked by Griffin MFB-590. The melting points of 4-nitrophthalamide and 4-nitrophthalonitrile were found to be 223 oC and 175 oC respectively. Solubility of the compounds was confirmed in some common laboratory solvent (acetone, methanol and DMF). The electronic spectra of nickel phthalocyanine compound in DMF showed intense Q absorption at 690 nm. The thermal stability of the phthalocyanine derivatives was checked by TGA; the phthalocyanine was heated up to 700 oC to determine the degradation temperature. The temperatures at which the phthalocyanine began to exhibit weight loss was 309 oC. It could, therefore, be concluded that the metal phthalocyanines prepared in this study showed suitably high thermal stability and can be used for further analysis.&nbsp

National Security, Boko Haram Insurgency and the International Dimensions of Terrorism

One of the greatest challenges that confront the International Community today is terrorism. In recent times, through the Boko Haram insecurity challenge, Africa seems to have entered the mainstream of global terrorism. From the activities of the Al Qaeda in the Levant and the Islamic Maghreb, to the clearly desperate drive to acquire territory by the ISIS, in the Levant and in diverse parts of Africa as far south as Mali, terrorism seems to have arrived in black Africa. In recent times, terrorism has taken a new and indeed frightening dimension, particularly through the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The deadly terrorist activities in the North-East region of Nigeria which range from kidnapping and bombing, through various forms of mindless violence and killings, to outright military confrontation with security agencies in a desperate bid to acquire territory in northern Nigeria, have caused the Nigerian armed forces great losses in human and material resources. This is a study of the international dimensions of the Boko-Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The paper highlighted the immediate and the remote causes of the conflagration that attended the bourgeoning politico-religious conflict which now threatens the stability of the entire West African Sub-region. It is a descriptive analytical survey that utilizes archival materials, library research, extant literature, internet sources and particularly content analysis. The paper recommended a convergence of both domestic and international collaboration to tackle and defeat terrorism in Africa, and concluded that within Nigeria itself, the need for accountability and good governance as a lasting panacea for national security is sine qua non

A patient-initiated DMARD selfmonitoring service for people with rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis on methotrexate: a randomised controlled trial

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a patient-initiated DMARD self-monitoring service for people with rheumatoid (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on methotrexate. Methods: A two-arm, single centre, randomised controlled trial assessing superiority in relation to healthcare utilisation, clinical and psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 100 adults with either RA or PsA on a stable dose of methotrexate, randomly assigned to usual care or the patient-initiated service. Intervention participants were trained how to understand and interpret their blood tests and use this information to initiate care from their clinical nurse specialist (CNS). The primary outcome was the number of outpatient visits to the CNS during the trial period. Differences between groups were analysed using Poisson regression models. Secondary outcomes were collected at baseline and after the 3rd and 6th blood tests. Disease activity was measured using either the DAS28 or PsARC, pain and fatigue using a visual numeric scale and the HAQII, HADS and SF12 were completed to assess disability, mood and quality of life, respectively. Differences between groups over time on secondary outcomes were analysed using multi-level models. Results: The patient-initiated DMARD self-monitoring service was associated with 54.55% fewer visits to the CNS (p<0.0001), 6.80% fewer visits to the rheumatologist (p=0.23) and 38.80% fewer visits to the GP (p=0.07), compared with control participants. There was no association between trial arm and any of the clinical or psychosocial outcomes. Conclusions: The results suggest that a patient-initiated service that incorporates patients self-monitoring DMARD therapy can lead to significant reductions in healthcare utilisation, whilst maintaining clinical and psychosocial well-being

Entomophagy — An evaluation of quality and acceptability of Raphia palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) as influenced by thermal processing methods

In this study, the quality and acceptability factor of Raphia palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) as influenced by different thermal processing methods were investigated. Raphia palm weevil larvae (n=1000) were randomly distributed into four groups of 250 larvae per group according to a treatment, namely: T1 = boiling (100 °C), T2 = roasting (120 °C) T3 = frying (160 °C) and T4 = oven-drying (180 °C). All treatments lasted 20 minutes. Analyses were carried out to determine the physical, chemical, vitamin and mineral composition, and microbial load. In addition, sensory characteristics were evaluated. Weevil larvae processed by the boiling method had the highest cooking yield (97.59%), water holding capacity (21.78%) and the lowest cooking loss (2.41%). The protein and fat content was higher in weevil larvae processed by frying (37.63% and 17.70%, respectively), while moisture was lowest (18.68%) in oven-dried larvae. The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content was higher in oven-dried larvae, while there were no significant differences in iron, manganese, zinc and vitamins in the processed larvae irrespective of the methods. Boiled larvae had a higher microbial load, while fried and oven-dried larvae had the lowest microbial load. Fried larvae elicited highest sensory characteristics except tenderness, which was higher in boiled larvae, but fried larvae had higher overall acceptability than those processed by other methods. Therefore, it has been shown that the frying method is an appropriate method of processing Raphia palm weevil larvae for enhanced quality and acceptability.In this study, the quality and acceptability factor of Raphia palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) as influenced by different thermal processing methods were investigated. Raphia palm weevil larvae (n=1000) were randomly distributed into four groups of 250 larvae per group according to a treatment, namely: T1 = boiling (100 °C), T2 = roasting (120 °C) T3 = frying (160 °C) and T4 = oven-drying (180 °C). All treatments lasted 20 minutes. Analyses were carried out to determine the physical, chemical, vitamin and mineral composition, and microbial load. In addition, sensory characteristics were evaluated. Weevil larvae processed by the boiling method had the highest cooking yield (97.59%), water holding capacity (21.78%) and the lowest cooking loss (2.41%). The protein and fat content was higher in weevil larvae processed by frying (37.63% and 17.70%, respectively), while moisture was lowest (18.68%) in oven-dried larvae. The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content was higher in oven-dried larvae, while there were no significant differences in iron, manganese, zinc and vitamins in the processed larvae irrespective of the methods. Boiled larvae had a higher microbial load, while fried and oven-dried larvae had the lowest microbial load. Fried larvae elicited highest sensory characteristics except tenderness, which was higher in boiled larvae, but fried larvae had higher overall acceptability than those processed by other methods. Therefore, it has been shown that the frying method is an appropriate method of processing Raphia palm weevil larvae for enhanced quality and acceptability