Reliability of Financial Reporting and Companies Attribute: The Nigerian Experience

This study examines the impact of quoted companies attributes on the reliability of financial reporting in Nigeria. The objective of the study is to investigate whether there is any significant relationship between companies attributes such as size, profitability, age and size of audit firm and the reliability of financial reporting. The data were collected through a secondary source from fifty-one randomly selected quoted companies in Nigeria for the year 2010. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Our findings show that there is a significant relationship between company size, profitability, age and reliability of financial reporting and a negative relationship between size of audit firm and reliability of financial reporting in Nigeria. Also, the study reveals that profitability is the major companies’ attribute that influences the overall quality of financial reports reliability in Nigeria. The study recommends that there should be provisions in the law dealing with companies’ attributes which have the potential to impair the quality of financial reporting. Similarly, emphasis should be placed on the qualities possessed by the preparers and those who attest to financial statements to show desired outcome. Keywords: Reliability, Companies Attributes, Financial Reporting.

The Impact of Tax Audit and Investigation on Revenue Generation in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of tax audit and investigations on revenue generation in Nigeria. The aim is to determine if tax audit and investigations can actually increase the revenue base of the government and if it can also stamp out the incidence of tax evasion. Data were collected through the primary sources from four hundred and ten respondents who are staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and Edo State Board of Internal Revenue. Hypotheses formulated were tested with Pearson Correlation Coefficient using SPSS output data. The findings are that Tax audit and investigations can increase the revenue base of the government and can also stamp out the incidents of tax evasion in the country. It was recommended that Tax audit and investigations should be carried out more often and as thorough as possible to accomplish its task of increasing the revenue base and stamping out tax evasion in the country. Key Words: Tax Audit, Revenue Generation, Investigation

Impact of HIV infection and zidovudine therapy on RBC parameters and urine methylmalonic acid levels

Background. Anaemia is a common complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of HIV infection and zidovudine on red blood cells (RBC) parameters and urine methylmalonic acid (UMMA) levels in patients with HIV infection. Material and Methods. A cross-sectional study involving 114 subjects, 94 of which are HIV-infected nonanaemic and 20 HIV negative subjects (Cg) as control. Full blood count parameters and urine methylmalonic acid (UMMA) level of each subject were determined. Associations were determined by Chi-square test and logistic regression statistics where appropriate. Results. Subjects on zidovudine-based ART had mean MCV (93 fL) higher than that of control group (82.9 fL) and ART-naïve (85.9 fL) subjects and the highest mean RDW. Mean UMMA level, which reflects vitamin B12 level status, was high in all HIV-infected groups but was significantly higher in ART-naïve subjects than in ART-experienced subjects. Conclusion. Although non-zidovudine therapy may be associated with macrocytosis (MCV > 95 fL), zidovudine therapy and ART naivety may not. Suboptimal level of vitamin B12 as measured by high UMMA though highest in ART-naïve subjects was common in all HIV-infected subjects

Prevalence and type of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in an apparently healthy Nigerian population: a cross sectional study

Background The prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a premalignant plasma-cell disorder has not been determined in our geographic area Nigeria. Methods A cross sectional survey was carried on apparently healthy Nigerians selected by multistage sampling technique from the cosmopolitan city of Lagos, Nigeria. Subjects enrolled into the study had 2-step screening for the presence, type and concentration of monoclonal band. Agarose-gel electrophoresis was performed on all serum samples, and any serum sample with a discrete band of monoclonal protein or thought to have a localized band was subjected to Immunofixation. Subjects were also evaluated for Bence jones proteinuria, haematological and biochemical parameters. Results Four hundred and ten subjects with a mean age of 45.68 ± 10.3 years, a median of 45.00 years and a range of 20 to 80 years were enrolled into the study. MGUS was identified in only one (0.24 percent) of the 410 study subject. This subject was demonstrated to have a double monoclonal gammopathy; IgGλ at 16.9 g/L and IgAκ at 8.5 g/L. None of them including the sole subject with MGUS had a monoclonal urinary light chain. Conclusion Among residents of Lagos, Nigeria, MGUS was found in only 0.24% percent of apparently normal persons with a median age of 45 years. This suggests that MGUS which represents the earliest stage of monoclonal plasma/lymphoid cell proliferation is not a common finding in the relatively young population of Nigeria. Future epidemiologic studies dealing with plasma cell disorders in older people are required to carefully examine the relationship between environmental factors and prevalence of MGUS and its ultimate progression to MM

Intraspecific reproductive variabilities in Capsicum frutescens (L.) in Nigeria

Natural intraspecific and interspecific crosses among Capsicum species are very high, resulting in intermediary forms which are complex to categorize. It is likely that through these crosses, new species or varieties may have arisen. The present study evaluated intraspecific reproductive variablities among eight accessions of C. fructesens. Each accession was planted in 10-litre plastic buckets arranged in single lines of inter- and intra-row (70 cm x 50 cm) and filled with loamy soil in five replicates at the Department of Pure and Applied Botany Screen House, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (Latitude 7°9'N, longitude 30°21'E), Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative reproductive characters were evaluated through measurements and visual observation, respectively. Means were separated using the Duncan's Multiple Range Test at p ˂ 0.05 (Statistical Analysis Systems version 9.2). The wide variation in the flower position, corolla colour, corolla spot colour, anthocyanin spots, fruit colour at intermediate and maturity, fruit set, days to flowering and fruiting, number of seeds per fruit and locules between AS002 and other accessions revealed that AS002 was significantly different. The study, therefore, suggests AS002 to be a new species in Nigeria, suspected to be C. baccatum, and also the best among the accessions for breeding purposes

Hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations in subjects with metabolic syndrome

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a clinical condition characterized by insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, has been linked with raised levels of serum ferritin (Sfr) concentrations. Objectives This study was carried out to compare hemoglobin (Hb) and Sfr concentrations in patients with MetS, regular donors and first-time donors. Materials and Methods A total of 102 subjects who were between 18 and 60 years were enrolled for the study. They were divided into three groups. The first group (n = 20) was made up of 5 males and 15 females, all who met the criteria that define MetS. The second group (n = 52; M = 34, F = 18) were regular donors, while the last group (n = 30; M = 16, F = 14) were first-time donors or those who had not donated before. Following an overnight fast, 20 mL of venous blood was drawn from each subject. About 5 mL of this was put into sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) specimen bottles for the full blood count parameters with Sysmex KX-21N hematology analyzer (made in Japan). The remaining 15 mL had serum separated for Sfr assay using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a commercial assay kit manufactured by Teco Diagnostics. Results Significant difference was found in the mean Sfr concentration of subjects with MetS (163 ± 136.92 ng/mL) and regular donors (41.46 ± 40.33 ng/mL), P = 0.001. The mean Sfr concentrations of subjects with MetS (163 ± 136.92 ng/mL) were also higher than that of first-time donors (102.46 ± 80.26 ng/mL), but it was not statistically significant, P = 0.053. The Hb concentrations of the three groups were not significantly different. Conclusion Sfr concentrations of regular donors were lower than that of subjects with MetS and first-time donors. The difference between regular donors and subjects with MetS was statistically significant. However, there is no significant difference in the Hb concentrations in the three groups. MetS is not associated with anemia or hyperferritinemia

Intraspecific reproductive variabilities in capsicum frutescens (L.) in Nigeria

Natural intraspecific and interspecific crosses among Capsicum species are very high, resulting in intermediary forms which are complex to categorize. It is likely that through these crosses, new species or varieties may have arisen. The present study evaluated intraspecific reproductive variablities among eight accessions of C. fructesens. Each accession was planted in 10-litre plastic buckets arranged in single lines of inter- and intra-row (70 cm x 50 cm) and filled with loamy soil in five replicates at the Department of Pure and Applied Botany Screen House, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (Latitude 7°9'N, longitude 30°21'E), Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative reproductive characters were evaluated through measurements and visual observation, respectively. Means were separated using the Duncan's Multiple Range Test at p ˂ 0.05 (Statistical Analysis Systems version 9.2). The wide variation in the flower position, corolla colour, corolla spot colour, anthocyanin spots, fruit colour at intermediate and maturity, fruit set, days to flowering and fruiting, number of seeds per fruit and locules between AS002 and other accessions revealed that AS002 was significantly different. The study, therefore, suggests AS002 to be a new species in Nigeria, suspected to be C. baccatum, and also the best among the accessions for breeding purposes

The Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease in Nigeria: A Case Report and Literature Review

The Kikuchi-Fujimoto is a rare, self-limiting disease, which is characterized by regional lymphadenopathy. It occurs worldwide with a higher prevalence among Asians and women below the age of forty years. We present 41-year-old Nigerian woman who was investigated extensively for unilateral left cervical lymphadenopathy. She was eventually diagnosed as having the Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease and was managed conservatively thereafter. We describe a case report and review of literature for better awareness of the disease amongst medical practitioners and pathologists in Africa

Specificity and Mechanism of Mandelamide Hydrolase Catalysis

The best-studied amidase signature (AS) enzyme is probably fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Closely related to FAAH is mandelamide hydrolase (MAH), whose substrate specificity and mechanism of catalysis are described in this paper. First, we developed a convenient chromogenic substrate, 4-nitrophenylacetamide, for MAH. The lack of reactivity of MAH with the corresponding ethyl ester confirmed the very limited size of the MAH leaving group site. The reactivity of MAH with 4-nitrophenyl acetate and methyl 4-nitrophenyl carbonate, therefore, suggested formation of an “inverse” acyl-enzyme where the small acyl-group occupies the normal leaving group site. We have interpreted the specificity of MAH for phenylacetamide substrates and small leaving groups in terms of its active site structure, using a homology model based on a FAAH crystal structure. The relevant structural elements were compared with those of FAAH. Phenylmethylboronic acid is a potent inhibitor of MAH (Ki = 27 nM), presumably because it forms a transition state analogue structure with the enzyme. O-Acyl hydroxamates were not irreversible inactivators of MAH but some were found to be transient inhibitors

A novel model for solar radiation prediction

Energy for fulfilling basic community/individual needs has come to constitute the first article of expectation in all contemporary societies. The exploitation of renewables notably solar in electricity generation has brought relief to the fulfilment of energy demand especially among susceptible communities. In this paper yearly minimum solar radiation of Kano (12.05°N; 08.2°E; altitude 472.5 m; 3 air density 1.1705 kg/m3) for 46 years is used to generate a prediction model that fits the data using autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and a new model termed autoregressive moving average process (ARMAP). Comparison between the ARMA and ARMAP models showed a tremendous improve in the sum of square error reduction between the actual data and the forecasted data by 47%