Econometric analysis of short-run and long-run determinants of agricultural value addition in Africa

The study investigated the effects of trade openness, electricity consumption, education and technology on agricultural value addition growth in Africa. It used data accessed from World Bank Data Base (1971-2011) which were subjected to econometric tests before applying the bound test for cointegration using Autoregressive Distributed Lag model. Results indicated the existence of a steady-state long-run relationship between agricultural value addition and its hypothesized determinants. Finally, technology (0.446) at p < 0.01and electricity consumption (1.695), at p<0.01 were the major long-run determinants of agricultural value addition growth. However technology (Wald stat = -0.551) with p <0.01, electricity (Wald Stat = 0.246) at p<0.01 and education (Wald F Stat = -0.417) with p < 0.01 explained the variation in agricultural value addition in Africa in the short-run. It was recommended that African nations should invest on electricity generation, technology development and skill acquisitions for developing agricultural value chain on the continent.Keywords: Agricultural value addition, Trade openness, Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model, Time Series Modeling, electricity consumptio

Perceived Psychosocial Impacts of Stigmatization and Coping Styles amongst People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Selected Hospitals, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective:- HIV/ AIDS stigma and discrimination exist worldwide, therefore this research was to determine perceived psychosocial impacts of stigmatization and coping strategies among PLWHA.Methodology:- This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. 240 respondents were selected in two hospitals with multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using COPE and Nottingham health profile apart from demographic characteristics of respondents.Results: Respondents’ age showed that 30-39 (38.8%) constituted the highest percentage. In terms of gender, females constituted 86.3% while 77.5% were married, traders constituted 66.3%, 72.6% were educated up to tertiary level stigma was considered to be separating oneself from other (30.0%) being avoided/isolated by family, friends, community and health care workers (28.8%), rejection by spouse, family and friends (21.3%. HIV  is solely sexually transmitted (13.6%) stigmatization of PLWHA is significantly of PLWHA is significantly related to perceived psychosocial impacts experienced as x2 > critical valued ( p = 0.05). 36.2% agreed that their present health status affect their sex life, home life (22.5%),  and work (18.7%) among others. Majority of the respondents agreed to have accepted their status (Mean Score 190.5) were using active and positive coping (mean cores 166.5) and 175.5 respectively such as utilizing religions coping styles (mean score 212.25) among others.Conclusion:- It was concluded that government should ensure statutory protection of PLWHA. Keywords: Stigma, psychosocial, impacts, coping strategies, PLWHA

A LabView Based Online Control Experiments for Students’ Learning

The buoyancy, dexterity and robustness of internet technologies have given rise to the field of online experimentation. The advantages of placing laboratories online have fuelled the development of this new sphere of laboratory work with a lot of research on-going. While the global set of experiments available on the internet grows, there is a shortage of online introductory experiments in the field of control system engineering. The focus of this study was to expand the set of online experiments in the control engineering field by familiarizing users to control system. In this paper, the development of DC control experiments using i-lab interactive architecture is presented. The study is to design and develop Graphic User Interface (GUIs) using LabVIEW, to ease students in performing position control, speed control and system modeling of the DC servomotor experiments platform. This platform is implemented online using Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) interactive laboratory architecture. The scope of this project is to apply virtual instruments to implement the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller in position control, speed control and modeling of the control system. PID controller was used to control the output response and stabilize the control system. Interactive software is developed to help the students to visualize and analyze the system

A LabView Based Online Control Experiments for Students’ Learning

The buoyancy, dexterity and robustness of internet technologies have given rise to the field of online experimentation. The advantages of placing laboratories online have fuelled the development of this new sphere of laboratory work with a lot of research on-going. While the global set of experiments available on the internet grows, there is a shortage of online introductory experiments in the field of control system engineering. The focus of this study was to expand the set of online experiments in the control engineering field by familiarizing users to control system. In this paper, the development of DC control experiments using i-lab interactive architecture is presented. The study is to design and develop Graphic User Interface (GUIs) using LabVIEW, to ease students in performing position control, speed control and system modeling of the DC servomotor experiments platform. This platform is implemented online using Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T) interactive laboratory architecture. The scope of this project is to apply virtual instruments to implement the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller in position control, speed control and modeling of the control system. PID controller was used to control the output response and stabilize the control system. Interactive software is developed to help the students to visualize and analyze the system

International league of associations for rheumatology recommendations for the management of psoriatic arthritis in resource-poor settings

Background Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a challenging heterogeneous disease. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and PsA (GRAPPA) last published their respective recommendations for the management of PsA in 2015. However, these guidelines are primarily based on studies conducted in resource replete countries and may not be applicable in countries in the Americas (except Canada and USA) and Africa. We sought to adapt the existing recommendations for these regions under the auspices of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR). Process The ADAPTE Collaboration (2009) process for guideline adaptation was followed to adapt the EULAR and GRAPPA PsA treatment recommendations for the Americas and Africa. The process was conducted in three recommended phases: set-up phase; adaptation phase (defining health questions, assessing source recommendations, drafting report), and finalization phase (external review, aftercare planning, and final production). Result ILAR recommendations have been derived principally by adapting the GRAPPA recommendations, additionally, EULAR recommendations where appropriate and supplemented by expert opinion and literature from these regions. A paucity of data relevant to resource-poor settings was found in PsA management literature. Conclusion The ILAR Treatment Recommendations for PsA intends to serve as reference for the management of PsA in the Americas and Africa. This paper illustrates the experience of an international working group in adapting existing recommendations to a resource-poor setting. It highlights the need to conduct research on the management of PsA in these regions as data are currently lacking