Students’ Perception, Attitude and Experience as Factors Influencing Learning of Information Literacy Skills in Public Universities in Ogun State, Nigeria

In research and learning, information literacy is a necessary skill for both the students and the researchers to recognise when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.  This study focuses on information literacy within the context of these associated variables perception, attitude and experience. Data were collected through self-constructed questionnaire with Cronbatch’s Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.7812. A spectrum of 3000 students from three universities constituted the sample. Three factors namely perception, attitude, and experience for which mean scores, alpha coefficients and correlations were calculated. One-sample t-test, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were employed for significance and variance analysis. The study established the fact that students’ perception, students’ attitude and student’ experience are significantly related to information literacy skills. The results of this study should be utilized in providing guidelines for designing the new information literacy skills programme. Students regard information literacy as a valuable skill, and believe that a certain level of information literacy skill should be attained. More work must be done to define what constitutes information literacy skills and universities are advised to embark on programme on information literacy initiatives to fully satisfy their students. Keywords: Information literacy skill, Students’ perception, Students’ attitude, Students’ experience, Library literacy, Literacy skil

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AN IMPROVED ELECTRO-MECHANICAL YAM POUNDING MACHINE

Yam is one of the oldest known recipes to man, which belongs to the class of carbohydrate and has been a part of the African meals for centuries. Pounded yam is generally accepted food prepared from yam tuber using indigenous method or equipment. Replacing such energy in cooking and yam pounding operation became expedient due to many reasons including tedious, laborious and very difficult. Materials to be used for construction of the electro-mechanical pounding machine were sourced locally and three different varieties of yam were used for its performance evaluation. It was observed from the result that the efficiency of the machine is high [98.75% (white yam), 99.70% (yellow yam), and 99.10% (water yam)]. The percentage lump and pounding capacity for white yam, yellow yam and water yam were 1.25, 3.49, 0.90 and 31.71, 29.68, 27.73g/s respectively

EFFECT OF CURRENCY DEVALUATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA: NEW EVIDENCE FROM DYNAMIC OLS

The extant literature is characterized with diverse views on policy impact prediction in respect of currency devaluation and economic growth. We have the optimists who view the policy impact prediction as positive due to its expansionary effect. We also have the pessimists who view it as negative due to its contractionary effect. There is ample evidence of this ambiguous relationship between currency devaluation and economic growth. The conclusion for different economies therefore is subject to empirical investigation. This study used dynamic OLS to examine the effects of currency devaluation as well as its associated returns on economic growth with special consideration to export and import of goods and services and inflation rate in Nigeria. Annual time series data covering the period 1981 to 2020 were fetched from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin augmented with latest version of WDIs of World Bank Group. The result shows that currency devaluation as well as its associated returns has a contractionary effect on output in support of the pessimist school of thought. Both inflation and export of goods and services have positively significant effect while import of goods and services has negatively significant effect on all the estimated models. The three control variables jointly produced the most desirable models with the highest adjusted R-square of about (0.998) in each case and with smallest variance of about (0.007, 0.003) respectively. The study, therefore, is concluded by recommending a substantial reduction in the naira-dollar exchange rate as well as import of goods and services while all measures should be taken in raising the volume of export of goods and services to accelerate economic growth in this socalled oil-rich nation

Cu-chitosan nanoparticle boost defense responses and plant growth in maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract In agriculture, search for biopolymer derived materials are in high demand to replace the synthetic agrochemicals. In the present investigation, the efficacy of Cu-chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) to boost defense responses against Curvularia leaf spot (CLS) disease of maize and plant growth promotry activity were evaluated. Cu-chitosan NPs treated plants showed significant defense response through higher activities of antioxidant (superoxide dismutase and peroxidase) and defense enzymes (polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase). Significant control of CLS disease of maize was recorded at 0.04 to 0.16% of Cu-chitosan NPs treatments in pot and 0.12 to 0.16% of NPs treatments in field condition. Further, NPs treatments exhibited growth promotry effect in terms of plant height, stem diameter, root length, root number and chlorophyll content in pot experiments. In field experiment, plant height, ear length, ear weight/plot, grain yield/plot and 100 grain weight were enhanced in NPs treatments. Disease control and enhancement of plant growth was further enlightened through Cu release profile of Cu-chitosan NPs. This is an important development in agriculture nanomaterial research where biodegradable Cu-chitosan NPs are better compatible with biological control as NPs “mimic” the natural elicitation of the plant defense and antioxidant system for disease protection and sustainable growth

Global guidance for surgical care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Surgeons urgently need guidance on how to deliver surgical services safely and effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim was to identify the key domains that should be considered when developing pandemic preparedness plans for surgical services. Methods: A scoping search was conducted to identify published articles relating to management of surgical patients during pandemics. Key informant interviews were conducted with surgeons and anaesthetists with direct experience of working during infectious disease outbreaks, in order to identify key challenges and solutions to delivering effective surgical services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Thirteen articles were identified from the scoping search, and surgeons and anaesthetists representing 11 territories were interviewed. To mount an effective response to COVID-19, a pandemic response plan for surgical services should be developed in advance. Key domains that should be included are: provision of staff training (such as patient transfers, donning and doffing personal protection equipment, recognizing and managing COVID-19 infection); support for the overall hospital response to COVID-19 (reduction in non-urgent activities such as clinics, endoscopy, non-urgent elective surgery); establishment of a team-based approach for running emergency services; and recognition and management of COVID-19 infection in patients treated as an emergency and those who have had surgery. A backlog of procedures after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is inevitable, and hospitals should plan how to address this effectively to ensure that patients having elective treatment have the best possible outcomes. Conclusion: Hospitals should prepare detailed context-specific pandemic preparedness plans addressing the identified domains. Specific guidance should be updated continuously to reflect emerging evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic