Enhancing the Access of Rural Households to Output Markets for Increased Farm Incomes

In spite of various agricultural development efforts by national and international agencies, which have brought about technological innovations such as improved crop varieties and animal breeds as well as better production techniques, the resultant increase in farm output has not necessarily translated to increased farm income for farmers in Nigeria. This is mostly due to lack of market access and other market related factors. Suffice it to say that the development efforts had hitherto concentrated on the upstream agriculture at the expense of the downstream. Thus the objective of this study is to determine the role of market factors in the translation of incremental agricultural outputs into incremental farm incomes of rural households. Data from 400 households, randomly selected from 100 villages spread across 10 Local Government Areas in the four Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Zones of Kebbi state, Nigeria were used to model the effect of some market-specific factors on rural households' farm income using Tobit Regression analysis. The result of the analysis revealed that the distance of the farm to the market, cost of transportation, medium of sales of farm produce, fees paid for space to display farm produce in the market and lack of up-to-date market information, had significant impacts on the farm income accruable to rural farming households in the study area. In addition to these, cost of transportation contributed the highest to the transaction cost of marketing farm produce. Therefore, the policies for increasing farming households' income require an integrated approach to intervention in downstream agriculture to enhance the market access, particularly in the area of fees paid to display farm produce in the market and transportation.Farming households, output markets, farm incomes, Nigeria, Consumer/Household Economics,

CONCEPTUALIZATION OF URBANIZATION STRUCTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Urbanization is synonymous with environmental challenges. fn developing countries, the challenges have assumed higher dimension sproportionally due to multifarious issues of rapid changes in the environment,due to development, through population growth and industrialization, and accompanied by all kinds of pollution such as air pollution, waste disposal, land use degradation, and vehicular pollution as the resultant effects of man\u27s interaction with the environment. The main characteristic effect is the raised temperature of the city centre (UHf) leading to excessive energy usefor cooling and putting urban population at great morbidity and mortality risks. This paper literally explores the conceptualframework of interaction between urbanization structure and understanding social impacts of climate change and variabilityfor the evaluation of strategies in the urbanized environment that might serve as adaptive response to climate change. The urbanizationstructure that affects Lagos state is discussed in relation to the location of the city, the size, thepopulation density, urban geometry, thermalproperty, air pollution, land usepattern, wind speed and anthropogenic activities. The study revealed that climate change is posing increasing challengesfor cities placing greater stress and impacts on multiple social and biophysical systems, including urban infrastructure, water and energy demand simultaneously,followed by a strong global trend towards urbanization of urbanpoverty. The study concluded that climate change has impacted greatly on virtually all the socio-economic aspects of man

CONCEPTUALIZATION OF URBANIZATION STRUCTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Urbanization is synonymous with environmental challenges. In developing countries, thechallenges have assumed higher dimensions proportionally due to multifarious issues of rapidchanges in the environment, due to development, through population growth andindustrialization, and accompanied by all kinds of pollution such as air pollution, wastedisposal, land use degradation, and vehicular pollution as the resultant effects of man’sinteraction with the environment. The main characteristic effect is the raised temperature of thecity centre (UHI) leading to excessive energy use for cooling and putting urban population atgreat morbidity and mortality risks. This paper literally explores the conceptual framework ofinteraction between urbanization structure and understanding social impacts of climate changeand variability for the evaluation of strategies in the urbanized environment that might serve asadaptive response to climate change. The urbanization structure that affects Lagos state isdiscussed in relation to the location of the city, the size, the population density, urbangeometry, thermal property, air pollution, land use pattern, wind speed and anthropogenicactivities. The study revealed that climate change is posing increasing challenges for citiesplacing greater stress and impacts on multiple social and biophysical systems, including urbaninfrastructure, water and energy demand simultaneously, followed by a strong global trendtowards urbanization of urban poverty. The study concluded that climate change has impactedgreatly on virtually all the socio-economic aspects of man

Impact of E-Learning and Digitalization in Primary and Secondary Schools

This study examines into the impact of e-learning and digitalization in primary and secondary schools, using Greensprings School in Lagos State, Nigeria as a case study. Questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument, and descriptive statistical method was adopted for analysis. Responses from students and teachers reveal that application of e-learning technology in schools will help to promote an efficient, effective and productive way of teaching. More so, e-learning promotes better communication and helps teachers and students to share accountability for learning and achievements. The study shows that most students agreed that e-learning help students to have access to unlimited source of information; reveals connection between subjects; promotes critical thinking; and encourages students’ way of learning. The study further shows that majority of the teachers agreed that e-learning is easier and effective; helps to further develop teachers’ computer skills; and brings out the best in students. Interestingly, the two parties agreed that e-learning helps teachers and students to share accountability for learning and achievements. Keywords: E-Learning, Digitalization, Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Greensprings, School, Lagos State, Nigeria

Stakeholders\u27 Perceptions of Ethical Leadership: Implications for Organizational Success

Leaders focus on the attainment of personal and organizational goals without consideration for the needs of stakeholders, especially those of followers. Ethical leadership (EL) studies\u27 focus on leaders\u27 perspectives represented a research gap that necessitated this study. Followers are the least researched among stakeholders; thus, this study explored EL from their viewpoints. Stakeholder theory, social learning theory, eudaimonia, and utilitarianism were the conceptual frameworks that guided this study. Twenty participants drawn from followers in a public organization in New Jersey were questioned about their experiences and expectations of EL using open-ended interview questions. Participants with shared experiences were selected based on convenience, snowball, and criterion sampling strategies. With the use of the transcendental phenomenological design, the data collected were analyzed with the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method and the two-cycle analysis. Knowledge, exemplarity, and democratic decision making were themes of EL that are relevant to followers. Other themes found in this study, including communication, stakeholders\u27 wellbeing, impartiality, honesty, relationship building, responsibility, and humility, concur with extant literature and suggest consistency in the phenomenon. The potential social change implications of this study are an innovative and cooperative work environment, organizational success, and enhanced corporate social responsibility. Organizations and societies may benefit from the inculcation and development of EL in the family, society, tertiary institutions, and organizations through training, mentoring, and the development of an ethical culture

Perceptions of Followers About Ethical Leadership and Attendant Effects on Organizational Success

Attainment of goals without consideration for the needs of stakeholders remains the focus of leaders. Ethical leadership (EL) studies’ focus on leaders’ perspectives represented a research gap that necessitated this study. Followers are the least researched among stakeholders; thus, this study explored EL from their viewpoints. Stakeholder theory, social learning theory, eudaimonia, and utilitarianism were the conceptual frameworks that guided this study. Twenty participants drawn from followers in a public organization in New Jersey were questioned about their experiences and expectations of EL using open-ended interview questions. Participants with shared experiences were selected based on convenience, snowball, and criterion sampling strategies. With the use of the transcendental phenomenological design, the data collected were analyzed with the Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method and the two-cycle analysis. Knowledge, exemplarity, and democratic decision making were themes of EL that are relevant to followers. Other themes found in this study, including communication, stakeholders’ well-being, impartiality, honesty, relationship building, responsibility, and humility, concur with extant literature and suggest consistency in the phenomenon. The potential social change implications of this study are an innovative and cooperative work environment, organizational success, and enhanced corporate social responsibility. Organizations and societies may benefit from the inculcation and development of EL in the family, society, tertiary institutions, and organizations through training, mentoring, and the development of an ethical culture

Direct Stimulation of Adult Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells In Vitro and Neurogenesis In Vivo by Salvianolic Acid B

Background: Small molecules have been shown to modulate the neurogenesis processes. In search for new therapeutic drugs, the herbs used in traditional medicines for neurogenesis are promising candidates. Methodology and Principal Findings: We selected a total of 45 natural compounds from Traditional Chinese herbal medicines which are extensively used in China to treat stroke clinically, and tested their proliferation-inducing activities on neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). The screening results showed that salvianolic acid B (Sal B) displayed marked effects on the induction of proliferation of NSPCs. We further demonstrated that Sal B promoted NSPCs proliferation in dose- and time-dependent manners. To explore the molecular mechanism, PI3K/Akt, MEK/ERK and Notch signaling pathways were investigated. Cell proliferation assay demonstrated that Ly294002 (PI3K/Akt inhibitor), but neither U0126 (ERK inhibitor) nor DAPT (Notch inhibitor) inhibited the Sal B-induced proliferation of cells. Western Blotting results showed that stimulation of NSPCs with Sal B enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt, and Ly294002 abolished this effect, confirming the role of Akt in Sal B mediated proliferation of NSPCs. Rats exposed to transient cerebral ischemia were treated for 4 weeks with Sal B from the 7th day after stroke. BrdU incorporation assay results showed that exposure Sal B could maintain the proliferation of NSPCs after cerebral ischemia. Morris water maze test showed that delayed post-ischemic treatment with Sal B improved cognitive impairment after stroke in rats

A quality improvement approach in co-developing a primary healthcare package for raising awareness and managing female genital schistosomiasis in Nigeria and Liberia

Background: Girls and women living in endemic areas for urogenital schistosomiasis may have lifelong vulnerability to female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). For >2 decades, the importance of FGS has been increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, but without established policies for case detection and treatment. This research aimed to understand the level of FGS knowledge of frontline health workers and health professionals working in endemic areas and to identify health system needs for the effective management of FGS cases and prevention of further complications due to ongoing infections. Methods: Workshops were conducted with health workers and stakeholders using participatory methods. These workshops were part of a quality improvement approach to develop the intervention. Results: Health workers’ and system stakeholders’ knowledge regarding FGS was low. Participants identified key steps to be taken to improve the diagnosis and treatment of FGS in schistosomiasis-endemic settings, which focused mainly on awareness creation, supply of praziquantel, development of FGS syndromic management and mass administration of praziquantel to all eligible ages. The FGS intervention component varies across countries and depends on the health system structure, existing facilities, services provided and the cadre of personnel available. Conclusion: Our study found that co-developing a new service for FGS that responds to contextual variations is feasible, promotes ownership and embeds learning across health sectors, including healthcare providers, NTD policymakers and implementers, health professionals and community health workers

Mixed-methods evaluation of integrating female genital schistosomiasis management within primary healthcare: a pilot intervention in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Detection and management of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) within primary healthcare is crucial for achieving schistosomiasis elimination, however, current technical strategies are not feasible in many settings. In Nigeria, there are currently no established standard operating procedures to support front-line health workers. This article presents an evaluation of piloting an FGS care package in two LGAs of Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: We used quantitative and qualitative analysis, including 46 interviews with patients, health workers and the quality improvement team; observations of training, learning sessions and supervision across 23 heath facilities; and records of patients detected and managed. Results: Of 79 women and girls who were screened, 66 were treated and followed up. Health workers assimilated knowledge of FGS and effectively diagnosed and managed patients, demonstrating the feasibility of using symptomatic screening and treatment tools to diagnose and care for women or girls with suspected FGS. Challenges included establishing a referral pathway to tertiary care for patients with complications, insecurity, gender norms that limited uptake and sensitization, the limited capacity of the workforce, conflicting priorities and praziquantel acquisition. Conclusions: Simple tools can be used in primary healthcare settings to detect and manage women and girls with FGS. Contextual challenges must be addressed. Sustainability will require political and financial commitments