Innovation in Nigerian SMEs: types and impact

This paper seeks to explore the types of innovation that are predominant in SMEs in developing countries and to investigate the impact of these innovations on different dimensions of firm performance based on an industry-wide innovation survey carried out in Nigeria in 2007. Although innovation is important for superior firm performance, our result found that the type of innovation that SMEs pursue is not a critical consideration in their performance. While there was no difference found in the focus of SMEs on either of product or process innovations, evidence showed that SMEs would focus more on incremental product and process innovations. Incremental innovation was found to be very important for Nigerian SMEs and a significant predictor of product quality and not of revenue. The authors conclude that SMEs chooses to pursue such innovations that most fit their strategies and available resources. Such level of innovation affords Nigerian SMEs to more extensively exploit the domestic market but cannot support extensive new product development required to enter export markets.innovation; small and medium enterprises; Nigeria; impact

Growth response, nutrient and mineral retention, bone mineralisation and walking ability of broiler chickens fed with dietary inclusion of various unconventional mineral sources

Growth response, nutrient and mineral retention, bone mineral content and walking ability of broiler chicken fed dietary inclusion of various unconventional calcium sources were studied using 160‐day‐old broilers. Four isonitrogenous, isocaloric diets balanced for Ca and P were formulated such that oyster shell, snail shell, wood ash and limestone were used as main non‐phytate (Ca from other sources apart from plant) calcium sources. Each dietary treatment consisted of 40 birds replicated four times with 10 birds per replicate. A single diet was fed to the broilers throughout the duration of the study which lasted for 8 weeks. Broilers fed diet containing oyster shell as calcium sources recorded the highest (p < 0.05) feed intake of 5863.30 g, while those fed diet containing limestone consumed the least intake (p < 0.05) of 5432.56 g. Occurrence of lameness and evidences of gaits were highest (p < 0.05) for broilers fed diet containing wood ash. Lowest (p < 0.05) Ca and ash retention were recorded for broiler fed diet containing wood ash as Ca sources. Similar tibia ash values were recorded for broilers fed oyster shell, snail shell and limestone. Wood ash inclusion resulted in a low Ca availability hence its inclusion in feeds for broilers should be discouraged

What Drives Innovation?: Inferences from an Industry-Wide Survey in Nigeria

This chapter seeks to make some contributions to the literature on firm-level innovation in Africa by attempting to identify the significant factors that explain the capability of firms in Nigeria to innovate using the results of an industry-wide study. We focused on the product and process innovation activities of firms between 2003 and 2006 and found differences in the factors that drive them at the firm level. Our results further show that interactions matter more than most innovation-related variables and that the most important actors that influence a firm’s innovation efforts are its customers and suppliers. We conclude that product and process innovations are not mutually exclusive and that a major key to successful innovation is how and with whom a firm collaborates. The implication of this for firms and policy makers is that an effectively wired innovation system where all stakeholders are active is critical for firm-level innovation capability.innovation; drivers; manufacturing industry; Nigeria; determinants

Multilevel Regression Analysis of Age at First Birth

Knowledge about the factors associated with age at first birth plays a major role in controlling the rate of population growth. This paper presents Hierarchical Linear Modeling known for its robustness not only in dealing with hierarchical data structure but also in its ability to explain the effects of the shared variances present in the study on the variable of interest.  Data from 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), collected via a hierarchically clustered sampling scheme were used. It investigated the factors that were thought to be associated with variation in age at first birth among Nigerian women were investigated. The model provided parameter estimates as well as estimates of the random effects variances at all the levels. It was observed that the average age at which a Nigerian woman gives birth to her first child without considering any factor effect is 19 years which is a teenage year. 22% and 18% in the variation of ages at first birth resides in the differences in the states and zones in the country

Modified Frechet distributions and their generalized families

The Frechet distribution is used for modeling extreme events. There are different approaches to developing statistical distributions which include&nbsp; the use of translation methods, system of differential equations, quantile methods among others. Existing statistical distributions are also modified&nbsp; or generalized to accommodate other different types of data and improve goodness of fit to data. Addition of extra parameter(s) is one approach&nbsp; used for generalizing existing distributions such that the base distributions are embedded in the new generalized distributions. Some methods of&nbsp; parameter induction were used to obtained families of generalized distributions. Parameter(s) were also introduced into the probability&nbsp; distributions of the Frechet distribution to derive functions of its modified versions belonging to each of the generalized families derived. Further&nbsp; study is recommended on some of the modified Frechet distributions and their generalized families

Power Generation from Melon Seed Husk Biochar Using Fuel Cell

Melon seed husk (MSH) biochar was used in a single cell direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) as an alternative biofuel. The DCFCs belong to a generation of energy conversion devices that are characterised with higher efficiencies, lower emission of pollutants and MSH biochar as the fuel. Several analytical techniques (proximate, ultimate and thermo-chemical analysis) were employed to analyse the characteristics of the biomass fuel, their effects on the cell’s performance, and the electrochemical reactions between the fuel and the electrolyte in the system. High carbon content and calorific values are some of the parameters responsible for good performances. The performance of a lab-scale DCFC made of ceramic tubes using molten carbonate electrolyte was investigated. Binary carbonates mixture (Na2CO3-K2CO3, 38-62 mol.%) was used as electrolyte and the waste MSH carbonised at 450oC as biofuel. A practical evaluation of the fuel used in the DCFC system was conducted, for varying temperature of 100 - 800oC. The maximum open circuit voltage (OCV) was 0.71 V. With an applied load resistance and active surface area of 5.73 cm2 the maximum power density was 5.50 mWcm-2 and the current density was 29.67 mAcm-2 at 800oC

Physiological responses of cowpea simultaneously exposed to water deficit stress and varying light intensities at vegetative and reproductive growth stages

A combination of stresses as it occurs on the field poses more challenges to crop production than individual stress. Crops’ response to single stress also differs from that of combined stresses. The morpho-physiological responses of two cowpea varieties (IT89KD-288 and IT99K573-1-1) to a combination of stresses (water deficit stress and high light intensity) were investigated at different growth stages. Three levels of light intensities (L3: 259 Lux- 36%, L2: 394 Lux-55% and L1: 710.2 Lux-100%) were imposed using one, two and zero layer(s) of the net, respectively, while, water deficit stress at four levels (W1: no water stress; 0-5 bars, W2: moderate water stress; 5-15 bars, W3: moderately-severe; 15-40 bars and W4: severe water stress; 40 -70 bars) was imposed differently at vegetative and reproductive growth stages. Data were collected on the cowpea yield, Leaf Temperature (LT), Chlorophyll (C), Photosynthesis (P), Stomatal Conductance (SC) and Canopy Transpiration Rate (CTR). Exposure to W4 under L1 considerably reduced cowpea yield by 80% compared to those grown under L3 and full watering. Reduced light intensity enhanced cowpea grain yield irrespective of water deficit stress and IT89KD-288 was superior to IT99K573-1-1. Reduction in light intensity also increased the SC from 55.18 in L1 to 76.88 in 36 % L3. Full light intensity without water stress (100% light intensity), increased C content, while severe water stress reduced the C content and CTR. Photosynthesis was, however, reduced under low light intensity compared to 100% light intensity. It was also observed that water deficit stress imposed at the reproductive stage did not affect P, CTR and SC unlike that of the vegetative stage. In conclusion, reduced light intensity enhanced cowpea tolerance to water deficit and increased yield. Cowpea response was dependent on growth stage, variety and severity of stress

Assessment of Growth and Cellulase Production of Wild-Type Microfungi Isolated from Ota, Nigeria

The aim of the study was to isolate and identify filamentous microfnngi involved in wood-waste decomposition in Canaanland, Ota, South-West Nigeria and to evaluate their potentials for cellulose saccharification. Microbiological techniques were used to isolate and identify the ftmgi. Four filamentous microfnngi, identified as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillusflavus, Penicillium chrysogenum and Trichoderma sp., were isolated. All the isolates, particularly Trichoderma sp., grew rapidly on Sabouraud's agar and Czapek-Dox agar. Two of the isolates, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma sp., was cultivated for 168 h by submerged fermentation in modified Czapek-Dox liquid medilllll containing cellulose as sole carbon source and harvested at 24 h intervals. The mycelia weight of the harvested cultures, and the protein content and cellulase activity of the filtrates were determined. The peak mycelia weight of 4.6 and 3.0 mg mL - 1 was, respectively obtained for Trichoderma sp. and A. niger at 48 h. The protein and cellulase activity of Trichoderma sp. peaked at 72 h whereas for A. niger, the peak protein content and peak cellulase activity was obtained at 96 and 72 h, respectively. The peak protein and cellulase activity values of A. niger were 0.175 and 0.077 nnit mL - 1 , respectively. Trichoderma sp. yielded a protein peak of 0.180 mg mL - 1 and peak cellulase activity of 0.108 nnit mL - 1 . There is a correlation between the protein content and cellulase activity of the culture filtrates. The strains of A. niger and Trichoderma sp. obtained from this study are potential tools for the saccharification and bioconversion of cellulosic material

Evaluation of Resistance Pattern and Plasmid Profile of Staphylococcus Species Isolated from Clinical and Community Samples in Ibadan South-West, Nigeria

Aims: Staphylococcus species have been a major human pathogen of public health importance globally. This study was designed to evaluate the resistance pattern and plasmid profile of Staphylococcus species isolated from clinical and community settings. Methodology: Staphylococcus species from clinical (55) and community (53) which were previously isolated in University of Ibadan and her teaching hospital and identified as S. epidermidis (92.6%), S. aureus (6.5%) and S. xylosus (0.9%) were used. The antibiogram and plasmid profiles were determined by standard procedures. Results: In clinical isolates of S. epidermidis, 30.9, 34.5, 40.0, 41.8, 60.0, 76.4, and 89.1% were resistant to chloramphenicol (CHL), streptomycin (STR), erythromycin (ERY), gentamycin (GEN), tetracycline (TET), cotrimoxazole (COT), and cloxacillin (CXC) respectively. Correspondingly, in community isolates of S. epidermidis, 28.3, 32.1, 50.9, 26.4, 58.5, 90.6 and 92.5% were resistant to these antibiotics. The only clinical S. xylosus isolated was resistant to all the antibiotics except CHL and STR. In the clinical isolates of S. aureus, 5.5, 5.5, 7.3, 7.3, 7.3, 9.1 and 9.1% were resistant to ERY, CHL, STR, GEN, TET, COT and CXC respectively. In community isolates, only one S. aureus was resistant to COT, CHL, ERY, GEN and STR while two were resistant to CXC. Plasmid profiling showed that 33/35 (94.3%) of clinical and 17/19 (89.5%) of community isolates had plasmid of size 23.13 kb. Conclusion: The increasing resistance and similarity of plasmid profile of the community isolates to clinical isolates call for urgent establishment of antibiotic surveillance system to minimize the emergence of drug resistance pathogens in the community