International Multimodal Transport Business and the Regulation of Electronic Commerce

In this age of globalisation, the forms of contracting, buying, selling and transportation of goods has transcended age long traditional methods of doing same and the society is being geared into a paperless and cashless society. One of the benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as well as globalisation is the introduction of electronic commerce. It is believed that establishing an electronic framework for international multimodal transport is a key initiative in creating an integrated goods transport system. While this area is thriving for many national jurisdictions, some jurisdictions are still far behind, particularly regions like Africa where many businesses engage in multimodal transport business. This article undertakes an appraisal of multi modal transport business in light of International Laws and the Law of Electronic Commerce. The article examines issues such as the applicable International Conventions that would govern the movement of goods using multimodal transport; the duties, rights and liabilities of parties under the applicable laws and furthermore, the validity and effect of electronic communication in contracts of carriage of goods. Keywords: multimodal, transportation, electronic commerce, carriage, Internationa

An automated personal carbon footprint calculator for estimating carbon emissions from transportation use

Transportation is one of the biggest menaces to the planet, releasing several million tons of gases into the atmosphere on an annual basis. The growing use of transportation has expanded the concentration and release of these gases, which affect the environment in a number of ways such as depletion of the ozone layer, air pollution and more seriously, global warming and climate change. Among the different modes, road transportation is a significant contributor of greenhouse gas as it ejects dangerous gases directly into the atmosphere, and these emissions are predicted to increase drastically over the years. As such, it is essential to track and monitor emissions from transportation activities in an attempt to reduce the global emissions of greenhouse gases, through carbon footprint calculators. However, most of these calculators do not solely focus on transportation and the ones that do, require a substantial amount of effort and manual input. this paper investigates acceptance of an automated personal transportation-based carbon footprint calculator and its accuracy in monitoring and reducing carbon emissions. As part of this study, a mobile application called TCTracker was implemented using Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality and built-in artificial intelligence (AI) features. The acceptance of the tool was evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model whereby involving forty users to evaluate four constructs notably, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and intention to use. Among these constructs, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness had the highest scores, to also depict the acceptance of the tool, while also sustaining interest in carbon footprint tracking

Challenges of Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: Effective Career Guidance as a Panacea

Unemployment has become a major problem bedeviling the lives of Nigerian youth, causing increased militancy, violent crimes, kidnappings, restiveness and socially delinquent behaviour. Youth unemployment is devastating to both the individual and the society as a whole both psychologically and economically. The paper examines the issue of youth unemployment and looks at potential interventions such as effective career guidance, technical and vocational education as well entrepreneurship education. A number of recommendations were made which include that youths should be trained to possess skills which are congruent with real labour market demand, developing a special focus on career guidance and counselling support in schools and introduction of entrepreneurship education into the school curriculum.Key words: Youth unemployment, career guidance, panacea, entrepreneurship, technical and vocational education

An Examination of the Human Factors in Cybersecurity: Future Direction for Nigerian Banks

Information and communication technology has become necessary for conducting business operations and ensuring business survival in Nigerian banks. However, this has come with some encumbrances, as this technology is vulnerable to attacks due to technical or human factors. These human factors have been very challenging for organizations due to their multi-dimensional nature and the fact that humans have been responsible for most cybersecurity incidents. Resolving issues arising from cybersecurity incidents is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, this study is crucial as it will enable Nigerian banks witnessing increased attacks to take preventive measures and reduce the enormous expenditure required for remediation. This study adopts a literature review approach, reviewing previous studies on human factors in cybersecurity to determine the factors responsible for successful cyber-attacks and their suggested mitigations. The findings categorize these human factors into social engineering, poor information security culture, risky password practices, stress, burnout, and security fatigue. The study presents mitigations but notes that training and cybersecurity awareness are the most common reoccurring pre-emptive actions recommended. This research is significant as very little prior research has been conducted in this area targeted at the Nigerian banking sector. Practically, the findings of this study are expected to point Nigerian banks toward the critical human factors that they need to concentrate on to minimize the success rate of cyber-attacks and reduce the associated costs of recovering from these attacks

BRIDGING THE GENDER DISPARITY IN EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN FOCUS

This paper is an attempt at highlighting the relevance of Open and Distance Learning in the education of girls and women in a country like Nigeria. Girls’ and women’s participation in education in Nigeria has been slowed down as a result of some barriers. Barriers to girls’ and women’s access to education are multifaceted. However, the ODL system has a philosophy that aims at removing barriers to education and allowing learners to study what they want, when they want and where they want. ODL can be effectively used to remove barriers to girls’ and women’s education in Nigeria.    Article visualizations

Online Child Sexual Exploitation: Policing and Prosecuting Child Pornography in Cyberspace

The advent of information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly the internet, has created immense mediums for the increasing availability and accessibility of child pornography. With the internet and the diverse forms of ICT, child pornography has escalated and become one of the most serious crimes in cyberspace. While child pornography is far from being a new phenomenon, its migration onto cyberspace is a contemporary element which has presented a whole range of new problems for law making and enforcement. This situation has created a novel form of child pornography, as well as a new dimension of child sexual abuse distinct from the traditional forms of child abuse. The nature of cyberspace, evident in jurisdictional issues, law making and enforcement, further adds to the difficulties of effectively prosecuting child pornography in this emergent world without borders. This article examines child pornography as a cybercrime. It evaluates the nature, characteristics and effects of child pornography and discusses the phenomenon as a contemporary dimension of child sexual abuse

The Danish control programme for salmonella in slaughter pig herds

Outbreaks of Salmonellosis in Danish pig herds were for many years very rare. However, at the beginning of this decade Salmonellosis in pigs became an emerging problem. The number of human cases were also increasing and in 1993 an epidemic (S. infantis) occured in the Copenhagen area. The epidemic could be attributed to contaminated pork. Consequently, a preliminary Salmonella control programme was initiated in 1993 and the present control programme was established in January 1995, according to the Danish Act of Zoonoses, 1994 and Order of Salmonella Surveillance, 1994

DETERMINATION OF THE THERMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS FOR TRANSFER OF ALKOXYPHENOLS FROM AQUEOUS-SOLUTION TO SDS MICELLES BY A TAYLOR-ARIS DIFFUSION TECHNIQUE

Using Taylor-Aris diffusion techniques, thermodynamic parameters have been measured for the transfer of a series of alkoxyphenols from water into SDS micelles. The results are compared with those for transfer to bulk organic solvents and to cells of Escherichia coli. The SDS micelles are found to be marginally more polar than n-octanol, but the results reveal significant differences between bulk solvents and the more ordered micellar pseudophase.87172741274

Towards Development of a Multilingual Mobile Chat Application for Enhanced Global Communication

The advent of mobile chat applications has revolutionized everyday communication. These applications facilitate the exchange of user's textual and multimedia content across languages and cultures. Most chat applications are known to only support a limited set of predominantly spoken languages, thereby, leaving a substantial portion of the user population without adequate multilingual support. This paper aims to bridge the linguistic gap by presenting Kobapp, a multilingual chat application. The Kobapp, leverages some of the cutting-edge technologies, such as React-Native, Next.js, and the DeepL API, to offer real-time, accurate translations while at the same time offering user privacy. The development process of the Kobapp is outlined from the system architecture and design, emphasizing the integration of a client-side (Android) and server-side using Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB. Notably, user feedback plays a crucial role in shaping an application's features and functionality. Therefore, the application’s performance was evaluated through a conducted user study. Results of the study indicate a strong positive linear relationship between overall user satisfaction and translation accuracy for different language pairs. Moreover, the absence of outliers and the model's significance further reinforces the application's commitment to data quality and accuracy. Future research will explore new dimensions in multilingual communication and applications to promote a truly global community

Hepatitis B Sero-Prevalence and Risk Behaviors Among Immigrant Men in a Population-Based Household Survey in Low-Income Neighborhoods of Northern California

Background Despite an effective vaccine, 60,000 new HBV infections were reported in the US in 2004; 95% in adults. We evaluate HBV sero-prevalence, risk behaviors and self-reported vaccination among Latino immigrant, Asian immigrant and US born low income men in five northern California counties. Methods Population based, cross sectional survey of HBV sero-prevalence and risk behaviors in men aged 18 to 35 years. Results Among 1,512 men screened, Asian immigrants were most likely to have had prior HBV infection (15.1%) and chronic infection (3.8%) compared to US born (prior 5.1%, chronic 0.6%) and Latino immigrant men (prior 2.0%, chronic 0.3%.) Reported HBV vaccination was lowest for Latino immigrants (12%) compared to Asian immigrants and US born men (35% in both.) Latino immigrants reported less educational attainment, medical insurance coverage and access to a physician in the last six months. Discussion Healthcare providers should routinely screen Asian immigrants for HBV regardless of their self reported vaccination status. Latino immigrants may comprise an important group of under-vaccinated, at risk persons in California. HBV testing and vaccination of immigrants soon after US arrival should be encouraged