INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS, TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY AND USE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES BY SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IJEBU ODE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OGUN STATE.

This study examined the information literacy skills, self-efficacy and use of information resources by secondary school teachers in selected secondary schools in Ijebu ode local government, Ogun state. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. Total enumeration technique was used in selecting the respondents for the research. A validated, self-designed and close-ended questionnaire was used as the instrument in gathering data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyze the data gathered through questionnaire. Findings revealed that the major information literacy skills possessed by teachers are using electronic information resources, evaluating WWW sources and using internet search tools (such as search engines, directories). The major information resources that are available to teachers are reference books, internet facilities and online resources, textbooks, dissertation / thesis / projects, journals and conference proceedings / papers. The information resources mostly used by the teachers are internet facilities, online resources, textbooks journals, newspapers / magazines and conference proceedings / papers. It was also revealed that there is low level of self-efficacy among teachers in selected secondary schools. The major problems affecting the use of information resources by teachers by the teachers are slow connection speed, constant power outage and lack of update and current resource. Further, there is significant relationship between information literacy skills and use of information resources among teachers. Also, there is no significant relationship between self-efficacy and use of information resources among teachers. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school management should provide adequate supply of power that will smoothly run the academic activities; government should provide adequate funds for the building of capital projects in the public universities such as ICT centers where students and teachers can have free access and use of electronic information resources. Adequate internet facilities should be provided to ameliorate the issue of slow connection speed as one of the problems stated in the findings

RESEARCH COMPETENCE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN LIBRARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA.

Research is an activity that brings about new discoveries and in order to perform it, competence is required. However, studies on research competence are a seldom area that needs more attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the research competence of postgraduate students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria. The peculiarity of this study is that research competence was sub-divided into three (3) different areas comprising: research knowledge, research skills, and research attitude. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study covered one hundred and sixty-one (161) library and information science postgraduate students in South-west, Nigeria and a total enumeration technique was adopted for this study to cover the total population size. Questionnaire was used as the instrument in collecting data from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution table and percentage. The study found that level of research competence possessed by the postgraduate students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria is high. Also, results from the study showed that research skills have the highest mean value and standard deviation (=41.15; std dev. = 12.863); followed by research knowledge (=39.34; std dev. = 11.641) and lastly research attitude (=32.59; std dev. = 10.785). The study also found out that the research competence possessed by the postgraduates’ students in library schools in South-west, Nigeria includes: ability to define a research problem, knowing how to formulate research questions/hypotheses, they know how to develop conceptual model for my study, they know how to explain the significance of the study, they know how to formulate research objectives, etc. The study concluded that postgraduate needs to have a positive attitude towards research. Also, lecturers are advised to develop new method of teaching research method

Spark Plasma Sintered High-Entropy Alloys: An Advanced Material for Aerospace Applications

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are materials of high property profiles with enhanced strength-to-weight ratios and high temperature-stress-fatigue capability as well as strong oxidation resistance strength. HEAs are multi-powder-based materials whose microstructural and mechanical properties rely strongly on stoichiometry combination of powders as well as the consolidation techniques. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) has a notable processing edge in processing HEAs due to its fast heating schedule at relatively lower temperature and short sintering time. Therefore, major challenges such as grain growth, porosity, and cracking normally encountered in conventional consolidation like casting are bypassed to produce HEAs with good densification. SPS parameters such as heating rate, temperature, pressure, and holding time can be utilized as design criteria in software like Minitab during design of experiment (DOE) to select a wide range of values at which the HEAs may be produced as well as to model the output data collected from mechanical characterization. In addition to this, the temperature-stress-fatigue response of developed HEAs can be analyzed using finite element analysis (FEA) to have an in-depth understanding of the detail of inter-atomic interactions that inform the inherent material properties

Academic social media use for research by postgraduates of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria.

A study was conducted to examine academic social media use for research among postgraduate students of the Tai Solarin University of Education in Nigeria. Survey research design and random sampling were adopted to select 500 out of 2,473 postgraduate population of Tai Solarin University of Education. Out of 500 questionnaires administered 467 were returned and collated of which 403 questionnaires were found useful for the study. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences software version 20 was used to analyse data using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that surveyed postgraduates use academic social media for every aspect of research activities; there is awareness of academic social media sites among the respondents while the frequency of use of academic social media sites among the respondents falls below average. The study recommends that postgraduates should collaborate more with researchers on academic social media to help them improve the quality of their research

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND PHASE EVOLUTIONS IN HEAT-TREATED CAST Al-SiC-TiO2 METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES

The effect of heat treatment with an addition of titania on the phase development and mechanical properties of sand casted Al-SiC-TiO2 metal matrix composite was investigated. The standard samples dimensions for tensile properties, wear and hardness were prepared. These samples were heat treated at different temperature of 180°C to 220°C without solution treatment. The samples were held at the heat treatment temperature for an hour after which they were allowed to cool in the air. Thereafter, samples were subjected to various mechanical and wear tests, respectively. The phases evolved due to heat treatment of the samples were examined using X-ray diffractometry. It was observed that the increase in heat treatment temperature of samples leads to the formation of precipitates within the aluminium matrix composite reinforced with SiC. The addition of 5 % titania inhibits the formation of aluminium silicon carbide phases in preference to SiO2 and TiO2 . The increase in heat treatment temperature leads to the formation of precipitates like TiSi2 , Si11.4TiO24.4, TiC, Al2 O3 and buckminsterfullerene C70 within the aluminium matrix composite. The addition of 10 % titania leads to the development of precipitates like Al5 Ti3 and Ti-rich oxides with the aluminium matrix. At 220°C, alumina was formed within the metal aluminium matrix and no trace of SiC was found. All the samples have low wear loss but the heat treated at 180°C sample (A) has the lowest wear loss. The heat treatment of the sample without solution treatment has impact on the phase development in the samples. It gives rise to the development of precipitates in the samples which affects the hardness and other mechanical properties. The addition of SiC and TiO2 to aluminium matrix makes the sample harden. Sample A heat treated at 200°C have the highest hardness

Financial Deepening and Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Johannsen and Error Correction Model Techniques

The desire to ascertain the kind of relationship between finance and growth is not new among scholars. This study attempted to give a better understanding of the type of relationship by analysing post-SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme) time-series data since the notable financial reforms began with SAP in Nigeria. The study employed the Johannsen Cointegration, error correction and granger causality as estimation techniques to determine the nexus between financial deepening and economic growth. The variables contained in the model include the ratio of credit to the private sector to gross domestic product (CPS) which proxy bank-based financial deepening, the proportion of market capitalisation to gross domestic product (MCAP) which proxy for stock market development. The result of the analysis revealed that the Nigerian economic growth is influenced by financial deepening positively and significantly, especially the bank-based financial depth

Comparative sensitivity of maize weevil to essential oil of Hoslundia opposita Vahl leaves subjected to different drying regimes

Received: 2016-06-11 | Accepted: 2016-07-28 | Available online: 2017-09-30http://dx.doi.org/10.15414/afz.2017.20.03.54-59Botanical essential oils (EOs) are effective alternatives to over-dependence on synthetic insecticides in stored product protection. However, the burden of handling bulky fresh botanicals needed for EO extraction and the tendency of the freshly harvested botanical to rot in transit, if wrongly handled, can be bottlenecks to pilot scale application of EO. Therefore, this study evaluates the comparative efficacy of the EOs obtained from freshly harvested Hoslundia opposita Vahl (Lamiaceae) and plants exposed to different shade-drying regimes (1-5 days) against maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, under laboratory conditions. Evaluation included fumigant toxicity and repellence bioassays. At 2 hours after exposure (HAE), EO of freshly harvested H. opposita leaves caused significantly (P < 0.001) lower mortality (53.30 %) than the value observed in H. opposita leaves dried for 5 days (90.00 %). The lethal time for 90.00 % of the weevils (LT90) obtained in EO from H. opposita leaves dried for 5 days (2.00 h) was significantly lower than 2.80 and 7.14 h obtained in EOs from the fresh and 1 day-dried leaves, respectively. At 1 HAE, EOs obtained from H. opposita leaves dried for 4 and 5 days caused 60.00 % repellence which was significantly higher than 20.00 % observed in fresh leaves. At 2 HAE, EOs obtained from H. opposita dried for 4 and 5 days caused significantly higher repellence (100.00 and 80.00 %, respectively) than what was observed in fresh leaves (70.00 %). 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