Ergonomic Consideration of the Effect of Flour Dust on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate of Bakers in Abeokuta, Ogun State

Flour dusts are one of the most harmful chemicals in the bakery industries which could lead to serious heart and lung diseases. This study investigated the effect of flour dust on Peak Expiratory Flow Rate of male bakers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria with the relationship to the anthropometrical parameters. A total of One hundred Eighty (180) male participants were investigated, where ninety (90) participants were bakers and ninety (90) individuals as control group. The Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and anthropometrical parameters of the participant were measured using mini-Wright peak flow meter (PFM 20, OMRON) and Detecto PD300MDHR (Cardinal Scale manufacturing company, USA) column scale with digital height rod was used to measure body mass [kg] and height (cm) respectively. The PEFR and anthropometrical parameters of the bakers and control groups were analysed using descriptive statistics and T-test with SPSS. The results showed that lower PEFR, 182.67 ± 16.34 L/min existed in bakers compared to 287.67 ± 17.02 L/min in the control study. The result also showed that a significant correlation exist between body mass, height and age (P < 0.01), PEFR, height (P < 0.05) and years of exposure (P < 0.01) of the bakers respectively. Furthermore, the results also showed that workers in the dusting and mixing of flour are at a risk of developing related pulmonary function impairment such as asthma. The study concluded that there is need to develop an effective intervention strategy, treatment seeking behaviour through awareness programs to prevent lung impairment diseases among the bakery workers

Effect of using vegetable oils as quenching media for pure commercial aluminium

This paper presents the effects of rate of heat extraction by groundnut, melon, palm kernel, shea butter and palm oils on the mechanical properties of various samples of pure commercial aluminium heat treated at 200°C, 250°C, 300°C and 350°C. Muffle furnace equipped with digital thermometer and thermocouple was used for the heat treatment. Tensile strength and hardness tests were carried out using Instron Universal Tester and Vickers hardness methods, respectively. Results obtained from the experiment were presented graphically. The results showed that palm kernel oil cools faster at 200°C and 250°C, while palm oil and shea butter oil quench faster at 300°C and 350°C, respectively. Palm kernel oil offers the highest elongation at 200°C, while at 350°C shea butter oil gave the best result. The best among the bio-quenching oils in providing good ductility is shea butter oil at 200°C, while at 300°C and 350°C groundnut oil give the best result. Highest hardness values were obtained from samples quenched in melon oil between 200°C-300°C. However, these values decreased with increased heating temperature probably due to density and viscosity variation with temperature rise. Similar observations were made on most of other samples quenched in other bio-quenching oils used in this experiment. This study shows that these locally available vegetable oils have promising potentials to serve as a possible replacement for non-biodegradable mineral oils in many applications

ADMINISTRATORS’ LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND EMPLOYEES’ JOB ENGAGEMENT IN TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN OGUN STATE NIGERIA

The study examined administrators’ leadership skills and employees’ job engagement in tertiary educational institutions is Ogun State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. Four Hundred and Fifteen employees (academic and non-teaching staff) selected from six out of the 12 public tertiary institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria were sampled, using multi-stage sampling technique. A researcher–designed 30 item 4 point modified Likert rating scale instrument entitled “Administrators Leadership Skills and Employees’ Job Engagement Questionnaire” (ALSEJEQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to reliability test using the Crombach Alpha method and a value of 0.89 was obtained. Data analysis was statistically done using Multiple Regression Analysis. Findings revealed that, though low, the overall model of the three administrators’ leadership skills indicators significantly predicted employees’ job engagement in tertiary educational institutions in Ogun State (F(3, 411) = 47.195, p &lt; 0.05) ; that, though low, the overall model of the&nbsp; administrators’ leadership skills indicators significantly predicted employees’ job engagement in tertiary educational institutions in Ogun State (F(3, 411) = 47.195, p &lt; 0.05); and that although, administrators’ analytical skills significantly contributed to the model, the contribution was negative β = -.284, t (411) = -3.028, p &lt; 0.05. The administrators’ conceptual skills did not significantly contribute to the model β = -.048, t (411) = -.496, p = .620. It was therefore recommended among others that appointment of Administrators of tertiary educational institutions should be hinged on evidence of haven undergone training at the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA, Nigeria), and that serving institutional Administrators should as a matter of policy be required to engage in Mandatory Continuing Professional Education

Comparative Study of Training Needs of Forestry Workers in Oyo and Osun States, Nigeria

The forest industry in the study area is in the verge of collapse due to the increasing scarcity of the major wood forest products. Rural societies in the states also depend on varied non timber forest products and services that are currently being jeopardised due to diminishing forest. Therefore, forestry workers in the study area need to possess the skills, knowledge, and adequate resources to help farmers within the forest area. The specific objectives are to:(a) ascertain the personal characteristics (sex, age, marital status, number of children) of respondents involved in forestry  activities in the study area.(b) examine training needs of forestry workers involved in forestry activities in the study area. The hypotheses to be tested is There is no significant relationship between the selected personal characteristics (sex, age, marital status, number of children) of respondents and their training needs in the study area. 50% of forestry workers were randomly selected from each state selected for the study. Major findings from the study revealed that: forestry workers were generally male across the states and categories. 50.0%, and 66.7% had spent 6-10 years in the service of Osun and Oyo States respectively; medium level (  = 3.0 – 3.99) in Osun and Oyo States, Vocational staff perceived they need training in most area. Professional needs training in problem solving approach (WMDS= 10) in Oyo State, and Tree/Shrub establishment (WMDS= 9.0) in Osun State. The implication of this study is that professionals and vocational staff need to improve their knowledge, skills and attitude in forestry activities. It is therefore recommended that Staffs should be given constant retraining to improve their performance and sustain forest benefits coordinated and funded by the governments

Antifungal Activities of Ethanol and Aqueous Crude Extracts of Four Nigerian Chewing Sticks

The antifungal activities of the ethanol and aqueous crude extracts of four Nigerian chewing sticks were investigated. Also a preliminary phytochemical analysis of the plants was done. The chewing sticks include Anogeissus schimperi, Distemonanthus benthmianus, Vernonia amagdalina and Xanthoxylum zanthoxyloides. All the plants tested, except Anogeissus Schimperi, displayed antifungal activities, zone of inhibition above the 10 mm standard mark. The ethanol crude extracts of the chewing sticks had a greater zone of inhibition in comparison with the aqueous extract. Among the individual plant extracts, D. benthmianus had the highest antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Microsporium gypseum and Trichophyton metagrophytes. The chewing sticks contain antifungal agents, though the concentration and composition of the bioactive substances may differ amongst the plants. Distemonath benthmianus exhibited a better antifungal activity and thus made it more suitable for better dental care. Flavonoid was present in all the plant extracts. Tannin was present in all the plant extract, except that of Anogeissus schimperi. Alkaloids were absent in all the plant extract. The ethanolic extracts had more phytochemical compounds than the aqueous extracts

Concept difficulty in secondary school chemistry: an intra-play of gender, school location and school type

This study focused on addressing underperformance in chemistry in Anglophone West African countries. The main purpose of the study was to determine if factors such as gender, school location and ownership impact students’ perception of the difficulty of chemistry concepts and to suggest how these difficult concepts can be made easy to learn from the perspectives of the students. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Participants were 1,292 chemistry students from nine public and 12 private secondary schools in Nigeria and Ghana with about three-quarters of the schools from urban areas. About 51% of the participants were females. Twenty-four students were interviewed to gather qualitative data. The Difficult Concept in Chemistry Questionnaire (DCCQ) and the Difficult Concepts in Chemistry Interview Guide (DCCIG) were used for data collection. The test-retest reliability coefficient of the DCCQ was 0.88. We found a slight difference in the perception of male and female students while school type came as a major determinant factor on students’ perception of difficult concepts in chemistry, just as school location. Phobia for calculations came out as a major cause of difficulty in the top five perceived difficult concepts. Findings on causes of learning difficulties were reported as well as suggestions for improvement as viewed by the students. Recommendations were made for improving the teaching and learning of chemistry in Anglophone West African schools.Peer Reviewe

Effect of Organisational Change on Employee Performance in the Nigerian Deposit Money Banks

The position of banking sector in any nation’s economy cannot be overemphasized this is because it drives other sectors. Managing employee performance in the face of dynamic changing organizational environment remains critical issue in today’s banking sector where the strength of the sector lies in the contribution and commitment of employees. Previous studies on organizational change as it affect employees’ performance remained inconclusive. Therefore, this study examined the effect of organizational change on employees’ performance in Deposit Money Banks in Lagos State, Nigeria.The study employed a survey research design and a multi-stage sampling technique to select a sample of 623 employees from a total population of 24182 employees in 22 Deposit Money Banks in Lagos, Nigeria. Consequently a structured questionnaire was administered on the respondents while 520 were duly completed and returned representing 83.5% response rate. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyzed collected data. Ordered Logistic Regression was used to determine the effects of Organisational change on employee’s performance in Deposit Money Banks in the studied area at 95% confidence level.The study showed average and standard deviation values for organizational change (-0.0034, 1.880 and employee’s job performance (2.498, 1.317), indicating the rate at which these variables deviated from their individual mean values. The results further revealed that organizational change (β= –0.628,zc= –9.33, p=0.067  had negative effect on employee performance.The study concluded that organizational change significantly affects employee’s performance in Deposit Money Banks in Lagos State, Nigeria. It was recommended that the stakeholders in the Nigerian banking industry should communicate changes in advance and also involve employees in the execution of those changes. Organisations should ensure that employees are treated in a just and procedurally manner so as to guarantee employee that the psychological contract between employer and employee remains intact Keywords: Organisational, Change, Banks, Employee, Performance, Deposit, Money DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-20-08 Publication date:October 31st 202

Evaluation of strength characteristics of fibre reinforced concrete: A case study of glass and sisal fibres

The strong performance of fibre reinforced concrete with the stepped introduction of glass and sisal fibre was evaluated. In this study, fibres as light reinforcements with varying percentages of 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.5 by weight of concrete were added to M15 grade concrete. The water/cement mix proportions ratio was 0.6. Control specimens, such as cubes were cast and tested at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days respectively to determine the mechanical properties. Glass fibre resulted in the most workable mix as compared to the sisal fibre with the highest slump and compaction factor of 19.50 mm and 0.93 respectively on the addition of 0.25% fibre. The addition of glass and sisal fibres in plain concrete (control) up to 1% increases the strength of concrete while the addition of fibres content greater than 1% resulted in a reduction in the strength of concrete. The optimum glass and sisal fibre content was 1% with maximum compressive strength of 36.50 N/mm2 and 34.67 N/mm2 at 28 days respectively. The experimental study revealed that glass fibre was stronger than sisal fibre. Hence, the fibre content of 1% is recommended for use as light reinforcement in concrete

Laboratory scale bioremediation of crude oil impacted soil using animal waste compost

This study investigated various ways by which the rate of biodegradation of hydrocarbons {ex-situ treatment} can be enhanced in an efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly manner. To achieve this, bioremediation processes were applied to a crude oil impacted soil. Tests were conducted to evaluate the biodegradation effect of the oil on the soil e.g. effect on density, electrical conductivity, etc. The percentage of organic matter and carbon was evaluated in order to determine the organic carbon interaction with the contaminated soil sample. The effect of contamination on the geotechnical properties of the contaminated soil was also evaluated using compaction test. Two types of compost - sheep waste compost and crude oil (SCRO), and goat waste compost and crude oil (GCRO) - with an application rate of {0g, 350g and 550g} were applied in the treatment. The results showed that all bioremediation agents applied enhanced the natural bioremediation of the contaminated soil and the most preferred results were obtained when treatments were done using SCRO compost. This study revealed that the remediation process was influenced by application period, type of oil, and compost rate

Comparative Analysis of Pre and Post-migration Livelihood Outcomes of Households with Absentee Heads in Osun State, Nigeria

Migration is often linked with a deleterious impact on rural area production and development. Although, the change of location for better opportunities also affect the lives and livelihoods of the migrant households’ in the rural communities. The study was a comparative analysis of the pre and post-migration living outcomes of absentee households’ heads in Osun State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure involving the simple random sampling was used to select 120 absentee household heads. Data collected with interview schedule was subjected to descriptive statistics, t-test and correlation analyses. Findings showed that more men (76.7%) migrated, leaving women to become the interim household heads. It was found that migrants have a higher average monthly income level (₦44,400). Prior to migration, most families were in the lower financial well-being category (83.3%), while only 55% remained in that category after migration. This follows the result of the t-test which revealed that a significant difference (t=0.00; p&lt;0.05) exists between the well-being of migrant’s household before and after migration. Thus, it was concluded that unless the rural push factors are removed, rural-urban migration will continue at an increasing rate because benefits and opportunities acquired in the process influence the well-being of the rural households. The study recommends that enabling environment, facilities and opportunities should be created in the rural communities to transform livelihoods and improve the wellbeing of the people via interventions by national and international agencies