The Work-Family Balance of British Working Women During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Purpose – The COVID-19 pandemic has affected women in unique gender-specific ways, particularly their traditional status as home managers. This study draws on role theory to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s work-family balance during the lockdown. Design/methodology/approach – The current COVID-19 pandemic, which has altered the ways in which we live and work, requires specific methodological tools to be understood. We therefore opted for a interpretive-constructivist and constructivist-phenomenologist approach. The dataset thus comprises of semi-structured interviews with twenty-six working women in the UK. Findings – The findings illustrate how the COVID-19 lockdown has intensified British women’s domestic workload and has thus caused unbridled role conflict, which has further been exacerbated by structural and interactional roles undertaken by women especially during the lockdown. Remote working has contributed to women’s role congestion and role conflict and poses severe challenges to role differentiation. Furthermore, we found that the lockdown has facilitated the rediscovery of family values and closeness, which is connected to the decline in juvenile delinquency and low crime rate that has resulted from the lockdown. Originality/value – Through the lens of the role theory, this study concludes that the cohabitation of work and family duties within the domestic space undermines the ability to achieve work-family balance and role differentiation due to the occurrence of inter-role conflicts. This study enriches our understanding of the effect of remote working on female employees’ work-family balance during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Modern-Day Slavery? The Work-Life Conflict of Domestic Workers in Nigeria

Purpose – The trend of domestic employment thrives almost in every society. It is most common in developing countries, and Nigeria is no exception. This article examines the nature of the role of a domestic worker in Nigeria and the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study uses a qualitative research approach to examine the nature of the role of domestic workers and the associated work-life conflict issues. Findings – The findings show that the nature of the jobs of domestic workers in Nigeria gives rise to a situation of modern-day slavery in which an employee works without a formal employment contract, with little or no rights to private time. Long and unstructured working hours, employers’ perceptions about domestic workers, and an enormous workload fuel and exacerbate work-life conflict among domestic workers in Nigeria. Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research and the research context. Practical Implications – The primacy of the employer over the employee in domestic employment means that both time and work-based conflicts continue to buffer work-life conflict if domestic workers’ working hours remain unscheduled and their employers’ perceptions about them remain unchanged. This invariably has a negative impact on the domestic workers’ health and productivity. Therefore, domestic employment should be regulated by law, and domestic workers should be treated like other formal employees. Originality/Value – This research contributes to the debates on work-life conflict by highlighting the nature of the role of domestic workers in a non-western context, Nigeria, and provides a nuanced insight into the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. The findings add conceptual thought and empirical evidence to the debate on work-life conflict

Analysis of acidic properties of distribution transformer oil insulation: a case study of Jericho (Nigeria) distribution network

This paper examined the acidic properties of distribution transformer oil insulation in service at Jericho distribution network Ibadan, Nigeria. Five oil samples each from six distribution transformers (DT1, DT2, DT3, DT4 and DT5) making a total of thirty samples were taken from different installed distribution transformers all from the Jericho distribution network. 10 g of the oil sample were dissolved in 40 ml of solvent ethanol in a ratio of 5 to 4. Then 0.1mol/litre of Potassium hydroxide (KOH) was added as titre with volume increments of 0.001 ml. The system detects when the acidbase- equivalence-point is reached by a voltage measurement in the solution. A transformer insulating oil passes acidity test if the acidity content is not more than 0.2 mg KOH/g oil according to the guideline from the American Society of testing Materials (ASTM). It was observed that twenty test samples of transformer insulating oil from four distribution transformers passed acidity test while ten samples from the remaining two failed the test, showing the later were in conditions. With the acidic content beyond the prescribed minimum value present in the transformer oil, transformer winding is at the risk excessive heat due to internal conduction that could cause explosion or fire outbreak in the transformerKeywords: Acidity, Mineral Oil, Oxidation, Transformer, Distribution network

ADAPTIVE NEURO-FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM FOR OKRA YIELD PREDICTION

This paper, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for okra yield prediction, describes the use of neuro-fuzzy inference system in the prediction of okra yield using environmental parameters such as minimum temperature, relative humidity, evaporation, sunshine hours, rainfall and maximum temperature as input into the neuro-fuzzy inference system, and yield as output. The agro meteorological data used were obtained from the department of agro meteorological and water management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and the yield data were obtained from the Department of Horticulture, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. MATLAB was used for the analysis of the data. From the results, the maximum predicted yield showed that at minimum temperature of 24.4 oc, relative humidity of 78.3% and evaporation of 5.5mm, the yield predicted is 1.67 tonnes/hectare.

Seasonal Variation in The Biology of Chrysichthys Auratus (Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, 1809) in Ogun State Estuary, Nigeria

This study examined the seasonal variation in the biology of Chrysichthys auratus (Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, 1809) in Ogun State estuary, Nigeria. Fish were collected in the wet season (May-June, 2018) and dry season (November-December, 2018) from commercial fishermen at the estuary using the bamboo trap. The fish length, weight and other biological parameters were measured and estimated using standard procedures. A total of 432 samples with length ranging between of 10 to 25.9 cm and corresponding weight ranging between 10g to 91g were examined during the two seasons. The wet and dry season showed the peak frequency at size class 14 – 14.9cm and 19 – 19.9cm respectively. The study revealed a the sex ratio (M:F) of 1:0.7 and of 1:0.47 in the wet season and in the dry season respectively. The length-weight relationship showed a negative allometric growth in the wet dry and combined seasons with a “b” value less than 3. Size at maturity were 19.5 cm, 17.30 cm and 18.5 cm for males, females and combined sex respectively in the wet season while in the dry season, all the males were immature and the females attained maturity at a length estimated to be 17.00 cm. The study showed a positive relationship between fecundity and total length of C. auratus in the wet (r2 = 0.41) and dry (r2 = 0.45) while a positive relationship was also observed between ovary weight and fecundity in the dry season (r2 = 0.88) and wet season (r2 = 0.83). Seasonal assessment of biology and distribution of C. auratus is recommended to provide requisite information for sustainable management of the species

’In the Grip of Traditionalism? How Nigerian Middle-Class Working Mothers Navigate Normative Ideals of Femininity

Changing socio-economic conditions are enticing more and more Nigerian mothers to work and pursue careers. This article explores how middle-class professional women navigate working mother subjectivities in the context of Nigeria’s strong patriarchal culture, where traditional notions of maternal femininity prevail. We argue that the working mother subjectivity is a key site where the struggle over gendered cultural meanings takes place. Drawing on 32 qualitative interviews, we demonstrate how a small group of women refused traditional feminine subject positions; however, most either embraced or reluctantly acquiesced to them, despite having access to broader cultural repertoires and material resources. By unveiling the complexities of the cultural appeal of traditional femininity and social penalties for breaching it, the article extends our understanding of how patriarchal cultures resist gendered change and the nuances and limits of individual patterns of resistance

Comparative Study of the Antibacterial Activity of N, N-Diethylamido Substituted p-Toluenesulfonamides to their α-Toluenesulfonamide Counterparts

Reaction of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride with amino acids gave sulfonamides p-T1a-k which upon amidation afforded p-T2a-k. Similarly, treatment involving α-toluenesulfonyl chloride and amino acids afforded the sulfonamides α-T1a-k. These two classes of sulfonamides were synthetically modified at their COOH end position to achieve N,N-diethylamido substituted p-toluenesulfonamides p-T2a-k and α-toluenesulfonamides α-T2a-k, respectively. The chemical structures of the compounds were validated with IR, Mass spectra, NMR as well as elemental analytical data. Both classes of compounds were screened against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and their activity were compared. It was remarkable to note that the α-toluene sulfonamides α-T2a-k were more active than their p-toluenesulfonamide counterparts p-T2a-k. Compound 1-(benzylsulfonyl)-N,Ndiethylpyrrolidine- 2-carboxamide α-T2a was the most potent antibacterial compound on S. aureus with MIC value of 3.12 μg mLG1 while N,N-Diethyl-3- phenyl-2-(phenylmethylsulfonamide) propanamide α-T2j emerged as the best antibacterial motif against E. coli with MIC value of 12.5 μg mLG1. Hence, these compounds especially the α-toluenesulfonamide core structural templates are good candidates for further study for future drug discovery

Comparative Study of the Antibacterial Activity of N, N-Diethylamido Substituted p-Toluenesulfonamides to their α-Toluenesulfonamide Counterparts

Reaction of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride with amino acids gave sulfonamides p-T1a-k which upon amidation afforded p-T2a-k. Similarly, treatment involving α-toluenesulfonyl chloride and amino acids afforded the sulfonamides α-T1a-k. These two classes of sulfonamides were synthetically modified at their COOH end position to achieve N,N-diethylamido substituted p-toluenesulfonamides p-T2a-k and α-toluenesulfonamides α-T2a-k, respectively. The chemical structures of the compounds were validated with IR, Mass spectra, NMR as well as elemental analytical data. Both classes of compounds were screened against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and their activity were compared. It was remarkable to note that the α-toluene sulfonamides α-T2a-k were more active than their p-toluenesulfonamide counterparts p-T2a-k. Compound 1-(benzylsulfonyl)-N,Ndiethylpyrrolidine-2-carboxamide α-T2a was the most potent antibacterial compound on S. aureus with MIC value of 3.12 μg mLG1 while N,N-Diethyl-3- phenyl-2-(phenylmethylsulfonamide) propanamide α-T2j emerged as the best antibacterial motif against E. coli with MIC value of 12.5 μg mLG1. Hence, these compounds especially the α-toluenesulfonamide core structural templates are good candidates for further study for future drug discovery

Plastic waste as strength modifiers in asphalt for a sustainable environment

This research took the form of an investigation into the applicability of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as strength modifiers in asphalt road construction. Samples of thoroughly washed, naturally dried and shredded PET wastes were collected. The optimum binder content (OBC) of the unmodified asphalt mix was determined. The bitumen used for the control mix was replaced with PET waste in 1, 3 and 5% proportions. Another sample was prepared with the addition of 1, 3 and 5% of PET waste while the OBC was fixed. The samples were subjected to Marshall Stability (MS) and Marshall Flow (MF) tests. Bulk density (BD), void in total mix (VTM), and void filled with bitumen (VFB) were determined. The results were compared with standards. The PET content obtained that conforms to the specification in AASHTO, ASTM and Nigeria Federal Ministry of Works standards was found to be 1% addition to OBC by weight of aggregate. This percentage PET content was 15% by weight of bitumen with BD, VTM, VFB, MF and MS being 2.38 kg/m3, 3.33%, 82.20%, 4.00 mm and 17.01 kN, respectively. The 1% PET modified asphalt was found to be useful for pavement construction and reduces the quantity of plastic waste in our environment