Exchange rate fluctuations and manufacturing output: Stylized evidence in Nigeria

One of the key engines of growth in many countries is the manufacturing sector, whose performance is impacted by the movement of the local currency. The manufacturing sector also offers opportunities like increased commerce, innovation, competitiveness, increasing exports, and productivity, which will only be possible when exchange rate is in the form of currency appreciation. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on Nigerian manufacturing output. The Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity technique was used in the study in order to examine the exchange rate oscillations. The result of the model estimation revealed that there is no persistence of shocks in the volatility of the exchange rate in the Nigerian economy. The business cycle stylized facts were also used to examine exchange rate volatility and the result established that exchange rate is highly volatile and has a negative effect on manufacturing output in Nigeria. The Auto Regressive Distributed Lag Bounds test was used to establish the long-run relationship and the result showed that there is a long-run relationship between exchange rate and manufacturing output. The variance decomposition and Impulse Response function were employed and the resul

Knowledge of and Attitude Towards Epilepsy Among Women in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Background: Epilepsy is a non-contagious chronic disease with sufferers experiencing embarrassments amidst other challenges. Family caregivers are mainly women with some of them suffering from the disease. This study assessed the knowledge and attitude of women residents in an urban community towards epilepsy. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 400 randomly selected women in Ile-Ife. The data was collected with the use of a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire on knowledge of and attitude to epilepsy. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Most respondents (99.3%) were aware of the disease with their main sources of information from their parents, friends, and neighbours. Only 15.3% of respondents had good knowledge of epilepsy, while 35% had positive attitude to epilepsy. Factors associated with good knowledge of epilepsy among respondents include having higher education (OR = 3.154, 95%CI = 1.574–6.323, p = 0.001) and higher income (OR = 3.055, 95%CI = 1.404–6.651, p = 0.005), while factors associated with positive attitude towards epilepsy include older age group (OR = 1.943, 95%CI = 1.281–2.945,p = 0.002) and higher income (OR = 2.932, 95%CI = 1.345–6.386, p = 0.007). Conclusions: Although the level of awareness is high, respondents’ knowledgeand attitude were inadequate. There is a need for a community education about epilepsy, targeting women who are major stakeholders with the aim of improving their knowledge and attitude towards the disease

Integrated reporting and corporate performance in Nigeria: Evidence from the banking industry

The study examined the impact of integrated reporting on the performance of corporate organizations in Nigeria between 2009 and 2018. The major motivation for the study was the clarion call and the outcry by the public as regards environmental degradation due to firm activities. Unfortunately, such outcry were not really heard as information about the environment has not really been captured in the reports of firms which then makes them not accountable to their immediate environment. In the light of this necessity, the study which considered thirteen banks due to unavailability of data for the intended periods for the remaining five, used profit after tax as the dependent variable and also used IR index as a blend of financial and sustainability reporting, debt to equity ratio and total asset as independent variables. The study employed the classical Ordinary Least Square and Panel Co-integration techniques for analysis revealing that while IR has no significant impact on corporate performance in the short run, it has a significant relationship with firm performance in the long run. Hence, it was recommended that reporting authorities such as the FRCN should mandate firms to adopt the IR standard just like in South Africa as stipulated in their King’s Code of Governance in a bid to strengthen such long run relationship. Also, non-financial information that embraces long-term forecasting should be included in cor- porate reports in a bid to educate relevant entities about its long-term prospects and its ability to continue in the foreseeable future

Growth performance of cowpea in spent oil-contaminated soils ameliorated with cocoa shell powder and biochar

The study assessed the ameliorative potentials of cocoa shell powder and biochar on spent engine oil (SEO) soils using the growth performance of cowpea. Twenty-four polyethylene bags were set up consisting of seven treatments (T1 to T7) contaminated with 2% v/w SEO and control (T0) each replicated three times. Cocoa shell biochar (CSB) was applied to T2, T3 and T4 at rates 0.25%, 0.5% and 1.0% while uncharred cocoa shell powder (CSP) was incorporated into T5, T6 and T7 at rates 0.25%, 0.5% and 1.0%. Chemical properties of CSB, CSP and soil treatments were determined by standard methods. Cowpea seeds were sown and germination and growth parameters were determined at 3 and 6 weeks after sowing. The result showed CSB was alkaline and rich in exchangeable cations. SEO-contamination negatively impacted soil nutrient composition, weakened germination by 27% and negatively affected growth of cowpea. Plants in T0 had significantly highest growth and biomass. CPB (especially 1%) amendment significantly improved leaf initiation and area compared with plants in T1. Growth declined with increasing CSP amendment. In conclusion, conversion of cocoa shells to biochar is necessary eliminate the acidic effects of the raw cocoa shell and effectively condition the soil

Production and Functionalities of Specialized Metabolites from Different Organic Sources

Medicinal plants are rich sources of specialized metabolites that are of great importance to plants, animals, and humans. The usefulness of active biological compounds cuts across different fields, such as agriculture, forestry, food processing and packaging, biofuels, biocatalysts, and environmental remediation. In recent years, research has shifted toward the use of microbes, especially endophytes (bacteria, fungi, and viruses), and the combination of these organisms with other alternatives to optimize the production and regulation of these compounds. This review reinforces the production of specialized metabolites, especially by plants and microorganisms, and the effectiveness of microorganisms in increasing the production/concentration of these compounds in plants. The study also highlights the functions of these compounds in plants and their applications in various fields. New research areas that should be explored to produce and regulate these compounds, especially in plants and microbes, have been identified. Methods involving molecular studies are yet to be fully explored, and next-generation sequencing possesses an interesting and reliable approach.Forestry, Faculty ofAlumniNon UBCForest and Conservation Sciences, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearche

Field evaluation and confirmation of acute peste des petits ruminant outbreak in a flock of West African dwarf goats in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study utilised epidemiological, haematological, pathological findings and serological detection of specific antibodies to evaluate and confirm a peste des petit ruminants (PPR) outbreak in a herd of West African dwarf (WAD) goats in Ibadan, Nigeria. The morbidity and mortality rates post exposure (PE) were 96% and 60% respectively. Laboratory analyses revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) in mean values of the haematological and serum biochemical indices between the PE and control groups. The PE group experienced a significant (P < 0.05) increase in white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte and monocytes after 10 days PE; the drop in glucose and high levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) indicated liver damage, while increased serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and uric acid arose from kidney impairment. The electrolyte imbalance (potassium, sodium and chloride ions) resulting from the symptomatic diarrhea affected the functionality of the Na+–K+ pump mechanisms, hence pathologic damage to the liver, kidneys, skin, gastrointestinal, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The competitive enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (c-ELISA) detected varying antibody levels in the PPR infected WAD goats; the percent inhibition was highest (P < 0.001) in survivors (70.00 ± 1.73), then in contact group (60.00 ± 2.00), and least in infected (23.33 ± 1.53), which were sero-negative. This study confirmed a PPR outbreak in a WAD goat flock in Ibadan, Nigeria. Keywords: Haematology, Morbilli virus, Peste des petit ruminant, Post exposure, Serum biochemistry, West African dwarf goa

Evaluation of the clinical outcomes of the Test and Treat strategy to implement Treat All in Nigeria: Results from the Nigeria Multi-Center ART Study.

In December 2016, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health updated its HIV guidelines to a Treat All approach, expanding antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility to all individuals with HIV infection, regardless of CD4+ cell count, and recommending ART be initiated within two weeks of HIV diagnosis (i.e., the Test and Treat strategy). The Test and Treat policy was first piloted in 32 local government areas (LGAs). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of adult patients initiated on ART within two weeks of HIV diagnosis during this pilot. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of patients who initiated ART within two weeks of new HIV diagnosis between October 2015 and September 2016 in eight randomly selected LGAs participating in the Test and Treat pilot study. 2,652 adults were newly diagnosed and initiated on ART within two weeks of HIV diagnosis. Of these patients, 8% had documentation of a 12-month viral load measurement, and 13% had documentation of a six-month viral load measurement. Among Test and Treat patients with a documented viral load, 79% were suppressed (≤400 copies/ml) at six months and 78% were suppressed at 12 months. By 12 months post-ART initiation, 34% of the patients who initiated ART under the Test and Treat strategy were lost to follow-up. The median CD4 cell count among patients initiating ART within two weeks of HIV diagnosis was 323 cells/mm3 (interquartile range, 161-518). While randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that Test and Treat strategies can improve patient retention and increase viral suppression compared to standard of care, these findings indicate that the effectiveness of Test and Treat in some settings may be far lower than the efficacy demonstrated in randomized controlled trials. Significant attention to the way Test and Treat strategies are implemented, monitored, and improved particularly related to early retention, can help expand access to ART for all patients

Effect of Test and Treat on clinical outcomes in Nigeria: A national retrospective study.

BackgroundIn Nigeria, results from the pilot of the Test and Treat strategy showed higher loss to follow up (LTFU) among people living with HIV compared to before its implementation. The aim of this evaluation was to assess the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation within 14 days on LTFU at 12 months and viral suppression.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected de-identified patient-level data hosted on the Nigeria National Data Repository from 1,007 facilities. The study population included people living with HIV age ≥15. We used multivariable Cox proportional frailty hazard models to assess time to LTFU comparing ART initiation strategy and multivariable log-binomial regression for viral suppression.ResultsOverall, 26,937 (38.13%) were LTFU at 12 months. Among individuals initiated within 14 days, 38.4% were LTFU by 12 months compared to 35.4% for individuals initiated >14 days (p14 days was not statistically significant.ConclusionLTFU was higher among individuals who were initiated within 14 days compared to greater than 14 days after HIV diagnosis. There was no difference for viral suppression. The provision of early tailored interventions to support newly diagnosed people living may contribute to reducing LTFU