Empirical analysis of the impact of globalization on labor force utilization: Evidence from Nigeria

In this study, the impact of globalization on labor force utilization, proxied as employment, in Nigeria was addressed with a view to assessing the extent to which globalization has influenced the structure of development in Nigeria. To achieve this, Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, and cointegration test were performed to investigate the unit root problem and the long run relationship among variables respectively; also an Error Correction Methodology was applied with a view to capturing both the short run and long run dynamic adjustments in employment model. The findings that emerged from the analysis showed that globalization practice could generate negative impact on employment in both short- and long run periods suggesting that if globalization continues as being practiced, globalization could further worsen the extant decrepit state of unemployment in Nigeria other things being equal. It is therefore recommended that government should confront the imminent unavoidable negative effects of globalization with a well –designed policy mix

The Effects of Different Watering Levels on the Physiology of Two Varieties of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in Nigeria

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of different watering levels on the physiology of two varieties of tomato cultivated in different parts of Nigeria. The Beske (round) variety cultivated in Kajola and the Hausa (oblong) variety cultivated in Sokoto. These varieties were planted, using Randomized Complete Block Design, on the same day and given different watering regimes in intervals of: one, two, four, six and eight days respectively. Plant height and leaf area were used to determine the physiological effect of this treatment. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the data collected α=0.05. Results show that the Beske variety adapted more to all the watering regimes, whether much or little with no significant difference (p>0.05) between treatments. The Sokoto variety on the other hand showed significant difference in the plant height and leaf area between treatments (p<0.05). There was no growth at all in the Every Day Watering (EDW) treatment. Keywords: Tomato, variety, watering, greenhouse

MODELLING HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS PAYMENTS UNDER THE NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME IN NIGERIA

The Nigerian National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is set up to ensure equitable payment of health care bills combining and prudently reducing cost-burden distribution for residents, versus high health care costs. Health maintenance organizations (HMO) are limited liability companies which could be established by private, public or individual entities with the main aim of being players in the scheme. This paper explored logistic regression (LR), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and random forest (RF) in determining the factors that could determine if an HMO will cover full or part of an individual's healthcare bill. The results do not show a significant difference in the classification accuracies of the three methods. Inferring that the highest number of the Nigerian residents that make use of the NHIS lie between the 31-40yrs age bracket and that largely, ailment classification and the insured’s age are key determining factors of whether an HMO would cover all or part of the bill

An Assessment of Wetland Loss in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

Wetlands are a very important subsystem of the general ecosystem as they play vital roles in the sustenance of both the surface and groundwater resources of the earth. However, much of the world’s wetlands have been lost due to series of human activities which gradually cause the degradation of this distinct element of ecosystem. The foundation of this problem is based on public perception of wetlands as unproductive, unhealthy lands, full of disease carrying insects and reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles. Therefore, this study assessed the loss of wetlands in Lagos metropolis. Questionnaires were administered on 75 Estate Surveyors and Valuers located within the study area and 76% were successfully retrieved. Also, 20 questionnaires were administered on conservation officials while 50% were retrieved. Data collected was collated and anlysed using descriptive statistics and relative importance index (RII). The study revealed that wetlands in Lagos Metropolis are habitats for fishes, source of water supply, help in sustaining the food chain of various wetland animals and are inevitably useful in maintaining the integrity of the Lagos coastline. The study further revealed urbanisation as a major factor responsible for the loss and degradation of wetlands in Lagos. Construction activities such as sand-filling, converting and reclaiming wetlands for the purpose of housing construction and infrastructural development contribute to wetland loss in Lagos metropolis. The study therefore concluded that efforts should be geared towards giving this natural ecosystem its due consideration when taking economic decision that will impact on it. Keywords: Environment, Lagos Metropolis, Wetland Loss, Wetland Valuation, Nigeri

Effects of Sodium Iso-butyl Xanthate Dosage on The Froth Flotation of Bead Milled Middle Group 1-3 PGM Ore Blend

An investigation was carried out to determine the effects of collector concentration on the grade and recovery in the flotation of middle group 1-3 Platinum Group Metal (PGM) ore mixture. The ore mixture pulp at a relative density of 1.29 was subjected to “bead milling”  test, particle size distribution analysis  and the 55% passing 75 µm was froth floated at 180, 200 and 220 g/t dosages of sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) and 30 and 80 g/t of Senfroth and Sendep 30D frother and depressant, respectively. The results obtained indicated the predominance of the 38 µm PGM values in the ore and confirmed the need for tertiary milling for better liberation of the PGMs. The grade of the PGM concentrate obtained when dosing at 200 g/t of sodium isobutyl xanthate was highest at 94 g/t and gave the lowest recovery of 53%. The 180 g/t SIBX dosage resulted in highest PGM recovery of 70% and lowest grade of 84 g/t, while dosing at 220 g/t SIBX gave average PGM grades of 90 g/t  and  recoveries of 60%. The results obtained thus showed that that an SIBX dosage of 180 g/t SIBX would be appropriate when higher recoveries are targeted, while 200 g/t dosage will yield higher grade

APPLICATION OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING MODEL TO UNSECURED LOANS AND BAD DEBT RISK CONTROL IN BANKS

Most banks fail as a result of mismanagement of credit risk. In this paper, the management of credit risk as it affects loan portfolio management and proactive strategy to seek out relative value opportunities are considered. An operational research technique, linear programming, is applied to the management of loan portfolio of banks. With the results obtained, using Simplex method, an answer is provided to the question of how to avoid possible occurrence of non-performing loans, bad and doubtful debts in banks when some percentage of the loans they give out are not secured

Relationship between some selected Socio Demographic Profiles and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus among Apparently Healthy Residents in Ekpoma, Nigeria

This study assesses the relationship between some selected demographic profiles and methicillin resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) amongst 384 apparently healthy residents in Ekpoma, Edo, Nigeria. Followingstandard protocol, nasal swab samples were subjected to bacteriological investigation and Staphylococcus aureusisolates were identified by mannitol fermentation and coagulase positivity. Antimicrobial susceptibility test wasperformed via Kirby-Bauer’s disc diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar medium. Results showed thatStaphylococcus aureus was present in 136 (35.4%) samples (male: 33.8% and female: 37.0%) among which 27.9%were methicillin-resistant (male; 27.3%; and female; 28.6%). The distribution of nasal colonisation ofStaphylococcus aureus was significantly higher (P< 0.05) among those within the age group of 41–50 years(66.7%) and civil servants (52.9%). Also, MRSA was common among age group 31 – 50 years (50%) and amongstcivil servants (33.3%). The MRSA isolated were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, cloxacillin (92.1%), tetracycline(68.4%), chloramphenicol (18.4%), streptomycin (18.4%), erythromycin (18.4%) and gentamicin (0%). Judging bythe results, MRSA is prevalent in the study area and the use of gentamicin may be recommended as the drug ofchoice for the treatment of multi-drug resistant MRSA.Keywords: Demographic profile, Antibiotic resistant, Staphylococcus aureus, Ekpoma

A Stable and Consistent Finite Difference Scheme for a Time-Dependent Schrodinger Wave Equation in a Finitely Low Potential Well

In this paper, we present a stable and consistent criterion to an explicit finite difference scheme for a time-dependent Schrodinger wave equation. This paper is a departure from the well-established time independent Schrodinger Wave Equation (SWE). We do this for a particular case of a finitely low potential wel

An Assessment of Wetland Loss in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

Wetlands are a very important subsystem of the general ecosystem as they play vital roles in the sustenance of both the surface and groundwater resources of the earth. However, much of the world’s wetlands have been lost due to series of human activities which gradually cause the degradation of this distinct element of ecosystem. The foundation of this problem is based on public perception of wetlands as unproductive, unhealthy lands, full of disease carrying insects and reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles. Therefore, this study assessed the loss of wetlands in Lagos metropolis. Questionnaires were administered on 75 Estate Surveyors and Valuers located within the study area and 76% were successfully retrieved. Also, 20 questionnaires were administered on conservation officials while 50% were retrieved. Data collected was collated and anlysed using descriptive statistics and relative importance index (RII). The study revealed that wetlands in Lagos Metropolis are habitats for fishes, source of water supply, help in sustaining the food chain of various wetland animals and are inevitably useful in maintaining the integrity of the Lagos coastline. The study further revealed urbanisation as a major factor responsible for the loss and degradation of wetlands in Lagos. Construction activities such as sand-filling, converting and reclaiming wetlands for the purpose of housing construction and infrastructural development contribute to wetland loss in Lagos metropolis. The study therefore concluded that efforts should be geared towards giving this natural ecosystem its due consideration when taking economic decision that will impact on it. Keywords: Environment, Lagos Metropolis, Wetland Loss, Wetland Valuation, Nigeri