Technical efficiency of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) production in Ogun State, Nigeria

This study was designed to measure the level of technical efficiency, its determinants in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) production and the constraints in the production system in Yewa North Local Government of Ogun State using a stochastic frontier production function. A combination of purposive and random sampling technique was used to select 80 watermelon farmers for the study. The socio-­‐economic characteristics show that the farmers are predominantly males, mostly (78.8%) married with majority (87.6%) having at least primary school education. The cost and return analysis shows a high net farm income per hectare of ₦25, 574.24. The estimated farm level mean technical efficiency was found to be 65 percent. This result indicates that great opportunities exist for the farmers to increase their productivity and income through improvement in technical efficiency. Age and off-­‐farm income were found to be positively and significantly related to the technical efficiency while education was negatively signed, as expected, but significant. Policies aimed at improving farmers’ access to education through aggressive awareness campaigns and mass mobilizations are recommended by the study

Preventive and Remedial Measures to House Termite Infestations in Two Ikwerre Communities of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

From forests to human dwellings, infestations of woods by termites are on the increase. Despite the increasing occurrences of termite infestations in human dwellings in the Niger Delta region, there is still insufficient information about the preventive and remedial measures towards house termites by house-owners (HOs) in the region. Through a survey of Omuoko [n = (50%) = 82] and Omuihechi [n = (50%) = 57] communities in the Ikwerre area of Port Harcourt, this study analyzed a 139-house owner samples using standard methods. Data obtained show that 64.7% of HOs use preventive measures which include chemicals (43.2%), chemicals and non-wood materials (20.9%), and non-wood materials (0.6%). A sub-total of 73 HOs representing 52.5% of the total respondents use remedial measures with chemicals (34.2%) being dominant, followed by Chemicals and replacement (27.4%), Replacement (17.8%), Scraping (12.3%), Chemical and scrapping (6.8%), and cement (1.4%). This study indicates that old, wooden, and thatched houses are highly susceptible to termites’ infestations, thus deserving periodic preventive and remedial treatments through expert consultations and/or do-it-yourself methods

Polynomial Regression Model of Making Cost Prediction In Mixed Cost Analysis

Regression analysis is used across business fields for tasks as diverse as systematic risk estimation, production and operations management, and statistical inference. This paper presents the cubic polynomial least square regression as a robust alternative method of making cost prediction in business rather than the usual linear regression.The study reveals that polynomial regression is a better alternative with a very high coefficient of determination. Keywords: Polynomial regression, linear regression, high-low method, cost prediction, mixed cost

Estimating the proportion of prisoners in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces - further analysis

On 25 January 2010 Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) published its initial estimate of the proportion of prisoners in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces. The study involved matching the personaldetails of adult prisoners against DASA’s Service leavers database. The initial report published on 25 January 2010 reported that 2,207 records of Service leavers matched against the 81,071 prisoner records supplied by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) (a snapshot taken on 06/11/09). From this it was estimated that 2.7% (rounded up to 3%) of prisoners were veterans of the UK Regular Armed Forces. The initial report committed the Ministry of Defence to three areas of further analysis. These three components are described in detail in this report which is divided into the following sections:Section A: Revising the estimate of the proportion of prisoners in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces.Section B: Describing the characteristics of the prisoners in England and Wales who were identified as ex-Armed Forces.Section C: Comparing the proportion of ex-Armed Forcesidentified as being in prison with the proportion of the general population in prison, overall and by offence group

Estimating the proportion of offenders supervised by probation trusts in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces

On 15 September 2010 Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) published its estimate of the proportion of prisoners in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces. The study involved matching the personal details of adult prisoners (a snapshot taken on 06/11/09) against DASA’s Service leavers’ database. It was estimated that 3.5% of prisoners were veterans of the UK Regular Armed Forces. A similar matching exercise has now been undertaken to estimate the proportion of those being supervised by Probation Trusts in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces

Children’s Reading of Sublexical Units in Years Three to Five: A Combined Analysis of Eye-Movements and Voice Recording

Purpose Children progress from making grapheme–phoneme connections to making grapho-syllabic connections before whole-word connections during reading development (Ehri, 2005a). More is known about the development of grapheme–phoneme connections than is known about grapho-syllabic connections. Therefore, we explored the trajectory of syllable use in English developing readers during oral reading. Method Fifty-one English-speaking children (mean age: 8.9 years, 55% females, 88% monolinguals) in year groups three, four, and five read aloud sentences with an embedded target word, while their eye movements and voices were recorded. The targets contained six letters and were either one or two syllables. Result Children in grade five had shorter gaze duration, shorter articulation duration, and larger spatial eye-voice span (EVS) than children in grade four. Children in grades three and four did not significantly differ on these measures. A syllable number effect was found for gaze duration but not for articulation duration and spatial EVS. Interestingly, one-syllable words took longer to process compared to two-syllable words, suggesting that more syllables may not always signify greater processing difficulty. Conclusion Overall, children are sensitive to sublexical reading units; however, due to sample and stimuli limitations, these findings should be interpreted with caution and further research conducted

Economic Analysis of Cassava Production: Prospects and Challenges in Irepodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to analyse cassava production, prospects and challenges in Irepodun local government area, Kwara State, Nigeria. It aimed to examine the determinant variables and determine the profitability level of cassava enterprises. The study was based on primary data obtained with the aid of structured questionnaire from 100 cassava farmers drawn through multi-stage sampling techniques from the study area. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ordinary least square (OLS) regression model and gross margin analysis. The result of the OLS regression estimates showed that farm size, cost of fertilizer application, farm size, herbicides, family and hired labour were significant variable affecting cassava production in the study area. Fertilizer, farm size and hired labour are significant at 1% while herbicide and family labour are significant at 10%. The study found that the average gross margin per hectare for cassava production in the study area was ₦24,749.28 ($65.30) with a gross benefit ratio of 1.38. This shows that for every ₦1 invested in the business of cassava production, there is a corresponding profit of ₦1.38. The major challenges identified in cassava enterprise are huge transportation cost, high cost of production, lack of improved cassava cultivars, and lack of market linkages. The study concluded despite the problem encountered in the study area, cassava production is profitable and can serve as a panacea for economic improvement of households. Therefore, the study recommends that basic inputs such as improved cassava varieties, herbicides and fertilizer should be made available at affordable price. Also, infrastructural facilities such as good road network and improve marketing channels should be provided in order to sustain current cassava production rate and economic gains from the production

Assessment of Gravel Properties Sourced within Oyo North Senatorial District: Case Study of Ogbomoso

The study evaluated the properties of gravel aggregate sourced within Oyo north senatorial district for concrete production in place of crushed granite crushed at exorbitant cost since characteristic properties show significant reflections on the qualities of gravel aggregate used and also play major role in determining the properties of hardened concrete. Samples of gravel from four commonly used borrow pits: Aroje, Bolanta, Sunsun and Olomi sites were obtained and tested for Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Aggregate Impact Value (AIV), Specific Gravity, Water absorption Capacity, Bulk Density, Moisture Content and Particle Size Distribution. On the average the results of the observation for the selected four locations were 22.56 g, 28.17 g, 33.37 g and 40.19 g for Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), 2.44 g/ml, 2.53 g/ml, 2.57 g/ml and 2.62 g/ml for Bulk density, 0.17 %, 1.43 %, 2.42 %, and 2.48 % for moisture content, 2.02 %, 2.92 %, 2.00 % and 3.15 for water absorption, 2.52, 2.63, 2.60 and 2.55 for specific gravity, 41. 55 %, 45.25 %, 45.59 % and 47.08 % for aggregate Impact respectively. The study revealed that, gravel aggregates from Aroje has superior properties over those of Sunsun, Bolanta and Olomi as compared with coarse aggregate properties in BS 812: 1995 and BS 882: 1992. It is hereby recommended for coarse aggregate in concrete production

Graves’ disease presenting as paranoid schizophrenia in a Nigerian woman: a case report

Paranoid syndromes in Graves’ disease are rare. The true incidence is lacking. Most reports have emanated from developed countries where medical investigations are readily available. No report of such has emanated from Nigeria. We report a 43-year-old female Nigerian with Graves’ disease associated with paranoid schizophrenia and review the literature