Effects of Housing Facilities on Residents’ Satisfaction in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

The importance of facilities in the proper functioning of any building cannot be overemphasized. The demand for accommodation is the demand for all components and facilities that can enhance the desired satisfaction of the occupants. This study therefore, aims at examining the effects of facilities on residents‟ satisfaction in Osogbo focusing on Isale-Odo and Alekuwodo areas with a view to explaining the importance of adequate facilities in housing units. The study administered structured questionnaires on 250 residents from each of the selected areas using stratified random sampling. Data collected were analysed through frequency distribution and relative satisfaction index method to ascertain the extent by which residents are satisfied with the quantum and state of facilities provided within the residential neighbourhoods. The study found that residents in Alekuwodo are more satisfied with their environment based on the facilities provided but not so in Isale Osun. Total rehabilitation of areas with substandard housing and no facilities by the concerned government is among others recommended in order to improve and promote neighbourhood health and prospectsKey Words: housing, facilities, residents, satisfaction, Oshogb

Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria isolation and surfactant influence on the growth of organisms: A case study in Ibadan, Nigeria

Hydrocarbons are substantially insoluble in water, often remaining partitioned in the non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL). However, there had been little or no attempts to advance the bioavailability of hydrocarbons through the use of surfactants. This study was conducted based on the need to isolate hydrocarbon degrading bacteria and to establish the effect of surfactants on the growth of organisms. Ten organisms were isolated and classified into five genera based on their physiological, morphological and biochemical characteristics. These genera include Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Micrococcus, Flavobacterium and Corynebacterium. In determining the effect of surfactant on isolated organisms, Bacillus strain and Corynebacterium strains were enhanced by palmitic acid. Detergent was found to have stimulatory effect on Bacillus and Pseudomonas. There is a significant difference between separate applications of palmitic acid and detergent on the samples with respect to the growth of Micrococcus sp. (p < 0.01). There was also a significant difference between the applications of detergent and control on the selected samples with respect to Flavobacterium sp. (p < 0.001). Surfactant which stimulated bacterial growth is highly recommended in bioremediation, although the use of improved strains may be preferable.Keywords: Hydrocarbons, surfactants, biodegradation, pollutants, microoganism

EXTERNAL DEBT OR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: WHICH HAS GREATER SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON NIGERIA?

This study assesses the significant economic impact of external debt and foreign direct investment on the growth of Nigeria for a period stretching from 1990 to 2013. The model specifies gross domestic product (economic growth) as dependent on outstanding value of external debt and foreign direct investment inflows. Estimating the model using the error correction modelling approach, the findings show that external debt is negatively but insignificantly related to economic growth while foreign direct investment is also negatively but significantly related. Foreign direct investment is indicated to be significant for economic growth; therefore, inflows through foreign direct investment tend to have more impact on the Nigerian economy than inflows from external debt

EXTERNAL DEBT OR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: WHICH HAS GREATER SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON NIGERIA?

This study assesses the significant economic impact of external debt and foreign direct investment on the growth of Nigeria for a period stretching from 1990 to 2013. The model specifies gross domestic product (economic growth) as dependent on outstanding value of external debt and foreign direct investment inflows. Estimating the model using the error correction modelling approach, the findings show that external debt is negatively but insignificantly related to economic growth while foreign direct investment is also negatively but significantly related. Foreign direct investment is indicated to be significant for economic growth; therefore, inflows through foreign direct investment tend to have more impact on the Nigerian economy than inflows from external debt

Management of erectile dysfunction: perceptions and practices of Nigerian primary care clinicians

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a prevalent health problem in many societies, but the diagnosis is seldom documented in primary care. The objective of this study was to investigate the perception and practices of clinicians regarding the management of ED in primary care settings in Nigeria. Methods A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was applied to a purposive sample of clinicians attending conferences/workshops organised by the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria and Update Courses of the Faculties of Family Medicine of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Physicians. Information was obtained on their professional characteristics, experiences with the management of ED and possible barriers to the effective management of ED. Results A total of 187 completed questionnaires were analysed. Most (87.2%) of the respondents were general practitioners, while the rest were specialists in various fields (excluding sexual health) who worked at the primary care level. One hundred and forty-seven respondents (76%) reported that ED was common in their clinical practice. Over half (56.2%) of the respondents ascribed a high priority to ED management in their day-to-day clinical practice, while 33.2% and 10.6% of them ascribed medium and low priority to ED management respectively. Although 80.8% of the respondents agreed that ED patients could benefit from orthodox treatments, only 18% of them had ever prescribed any medication for affected patients; most (82%) of them either counselled or referred ED patients to secondary or tertiary care level for further management. Most of the clinicians (62%) would not take a sexual history unless the patient brought it up. The reported barriers to the management of ED include lack of a standardised protocol (64.2%), inadequate experience in ED management (85.6%), preference of patients for native medication (42.3%), and the high cost of modern medication (48.1%). Conclusion The clinicians acknowledged the high prevalence of ED in the primary care setting and recognised that they had a role to play in managing affected patients. The identified barriers to the management of the condition point to the need for education of both clinicians and patients, as well as the provision of guidelines for the management of ED in primary care settings.South African Family Practice Vol. 49 (9) 2007: pp. 1

Biodeterioration of the African star apple (Chrysophylum albidum) in storage and the effect on its food value

The biodeterioration of the African star apple fruits in storage was investigated at Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. Eight fungal isolates were found associated with the deteriorating fruits. The fungi are Botryodiplodia theobromae, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus niger, A. tamarii, A. flavus, Fusarium spp, Penicilium spp and Trichoderma spp. All the fungal isolates were pathogenic on the star apple fruits with the exception of Trichoderma spp. The African star apple fruits stored for up to 5 days were associated with severe fungal infections and had significantly reduced crude protein, crude fat and moisture content while dry matter, potassium, calcium and sodium increased compared to the freshly harvested fruits. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2003 2(3): 56-59

Pre-harvest deterioration of Sour sop (Annona muricata) at Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria and its effect on nutrient composition

The etiology of pre-harvest deterioration of Soursop (Annona muricata) fruit in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria and the effects on its nutrient composition was investigated. Four fungal pathogens including Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium sp., Rhizopus stolonifer and Aspergillus niger were found associated with the pre-harvest deteriorating soursop . B. theobromae was the most prevalent and the most pathogenic inducing rot of 75 mm in diameter within four days of inoculation. There was a remarkable reduction in carbohydrate and protein contents of the fungal infected fruits while all other nutrients and mineral assayed were higher in the infected fruits than the non-infected ones. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2003 2(1): 23-25

Investigating the Convergence and Bit Error Rate of Adaptive Algorithms over Time Varying Rayleigh Fading Channel

The fastest growing segment of the communication industry is the mobile wireless communication system. However, the systems faced a lot of challenges such as delay in the propagation of signals due to time-varying channel and effect of high speed transmission over Rayleigh fading which result into Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) distortion. Least Mean Square (LMS) and Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) have been previously used to adapt the system using the step size, and Eigen value. In this paper, the adaptive Algorithms over a time-varying channel were compared using convergence level, Bit Error Rate (BER), and Mean Square Error (MSE). The system model consists of bits to symbol converter, 16-QAM modulator and Raised Cosine transmit filter, all at the transmitter, time-varying Rayleigh fading with Additive White Gaussian Noise added, and at the receiver are Raised Cosine Receive filter, 16-QAM demodulator, then each of the Adaptive LMS and NLMS filters which received delay from the Random integer generator, and the integer/symbol to bit converter at the output. The system model was simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK software package. The algorithms were evaluated using convergence MSE at SNR of 10, 20 and 30dB over different number of iterations to determine the convergence rate, constellation diagram and BER. The results obtained showed that the flat convergence level of LMS and NLMS at SNR of 10dB are obtained with 300 and 200 iterations respectively, while 200 and 150 iterations are obtained at SNR of 20 and at SNR 30, the convergence level are obtained at 150 and 100 iterations respectively. BER values of 0.1598 and 0.0858 are obtained for LMS and NLMS respectively. Therefore, LMS algorithm took more iterations than NLMS algorithm to achieve the same error, and also lower BER value of NLMS is also in agreement with the result. Keywords: Convergence, MSE, LMS algorithm, NLMS algorithm, Intersymbol interference (ISI)