Multi-Media Campaigns, Interpersonal Contacts and Contraceptive Behaviour in Southwest Nigeria

Recent evidence suggests that mass media may be an effective tool for motivating people to adopt family planning. Little is known, however, about the process by which this takes place. In this exploratory study, we argue that following an exposure to mass media message(s) about family planning, interpersonal discussion of such message(s) is an important intermediate stage in the process of deciding to use or not to use contraception. If this is the case, interpersonal discussion is expected to enhance or attenuate the effects of exposure to media messages on contraceptive behaviour. Our results show that there is a significant positive relationship between exposure to media messages and contraceptive use in Southwest Nigeria. Furthermore, among women who are exposed to media messages, those who discuss the messages with other people are more likely to use contraception compared with those who did not discuss the messages

Fertility preferences and contraceptive use among couples in sub-Saharan Africa

Fertility remains high and contraceptive use is low in much of sub-Saharan Africa despite high levels of unmet need for contraception and clear evidence of excess fertility. Using data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys this paper revisits the issue of gender differences in fertility goals, and how these differences may contribute to the lack of substantial declines in fertility in the region. The results show that most spouses agreed with respect to their fertility preferences, whether in terms of desired number of children or desire for a future birth. When there were disagreements, men tended to want more children than their spouses. In most countries, contraceptive use among couples was not associated with differences in spouses’ desires for a future birth. However, for the few countries where a significant association was observed, couples were less likely to be using a method when the wife wanted to have more children and more likely to be using one when she wanted to stop childbearing. To ensure open and sustained use of contraception within a union, family planning programs must continue to involve men by helping them understand the importance of fewer and well spaced births for the health of women and their children

Competency-Based Education in Africa: Exploring Teachers’ Perceptions, Understanding, and Practices

This study explored teachers’ knowledge and integration of competency-based practices in schools. One hundred and fifty in-service secondary school teachers were sampled across three African countries using a survey research design. A combination of both closed and open-ended questions was used to elicit responses from respondents via an online system. Responses from the open-ended questions were analysed using thematic analysis, and data received from the structured questions were analysed using percentage distribution. The theoretical lens through which this study was viewed was the Human capital theory and social constructivism theory. Findings revealed that teachers across the three countries have a positive perception of the usage of competency-based approaches but lack professional training and support, which in turn affects the quality of their teaching and assessment practices in classrooms. The implications and recommendations from this study offer teachers as well as education stakeholders in Africa valuable consideration to move beyond the traditional level of assessment and integrate good proxies of academic skills that support learners’ acquisition of 21stcentury skills such as problemsolving, creativity and critical thinking in assessing learners’ competencies

Torrefaction and Combustion Properties of some Nigerian Biomass

Many countries are seeking to expand their use of solid biomass for electricity and heat generation. Nigeria, too, is exploring its own potential energy crops and indigenous residues. It is expected that 75% of electricity generation in Nigeria will come from renewable energy by the end of 2025 [1], and this includes hydro, solar, wind and biomass. The use of this biomass for energy production is, however, limited by some critical factors such as high moisture content, low bulk density and low energy density, all of which negatively affect the viability of biomass energy. Torrefaction is a mild pyrolysis method which shows promise for improving the energy density and some of the other undesirable properties of raw biomass. This study examines the torrefaction and combustion properties of four Nigerian woody biomass, Gmelina arborea, Terminalia superba, Nauclea diderrichii, Lophira alata and a residue; palm kernel expeller (PKE). Two of these woods (Gmelina and Terminalia) are energy crops under cultivation trials in Nigeria, and two (Nauclea and Lophira) are woods used in the timber industry which results in large quantities of sawmill residues. Fuels were torrefied at 270 and 290oC for either 30 or 60 min, and assessed for pyrolysis and combustion characteristics in comparison to their untreated (raw) counterparts. Torrefied fuels were analysed for proximate, ultimate and higher heating value, and mass and energy yields were calculated. Results show that the Nigerian fuels have low N, S, Cl and high carbon contents. The high carbon content in the Nigerian fuels resulted in a relatively higher calorific value compared to typical European biomass such as willow. These two together makes the biomass very attractive for energy production. For the Nigerian fuels mass yields were in the range 70-93% and energy yields in the range 79-93%. Energy densities of the woods improved from 19.2-21.2 MJ/kg for the raw fuels to 21.5-24.6 MJ/kg for the torrefied fuels. The torrefaction process also results in loss of nitrogen from the fuel, mainly in the tar (condensables). Generally, while the wt% N increases in the torrefied fuel compared to the original material, the N content on an energy basis, generally decrease. This is very significant since amount of NOx that is formed in combustion is related, in part, to fuel nitrogen (fuel dependent N/GJ). A modified Hardgove Index test was used to study the milling behaviour of the fuels, which demonstrated improved grindability of the woods upon torrefaction, especially for Nauclea. This is important for pulverized fuel combustion applications where energy in milling and mill throughput are expected to decrease for the torrefied fuels. However, torrefaction had very little effect on the grindability of PKE. The apparent first order kinetics for pyrolysis were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). After torrefaction, the fuels become less reactive as evidenced by both the slightly higher temperature of maximum pyrolysis rate and by the lower reactivity rate (as calculated at 300oC). The A and Ea values for the fuels ranged from 10 – 24.9 s-1 and 78.8 -156 kJ/mol respectively. Overall, Nauclea and Gmelina were the most reactive fuels, whilst PKE was the least reactive. The combustion behaviour of the selected raw and some of the torrefied fuels was examined by suspending particles in a methane air flame and interrogating using a high-speed camera. The observations showed that torrefaction changes the combustion properties of biomass resulting in shorter ignition delay, shorter duration of volatile combustion and longer duration of char burn out. TGA combustion analysis of chars and apparent first order kinetic parameters for char combustion revealed that torrefaction of biomass results in an increase in activation energy, Ea, resulting in a slower apparent reactivity in combustion i.e. torrefied chars are less reactive than their raw counterparts and the more severe the torrefaction conditions, the less reactive the fuels become. The fuels are becoming more coal-like in their combustion behaviour. In summary, the Nigerian biomass and torrefied biomass show high potential for large scale electricity production. Their high calorific value, low nitrogen, low sulphur and high melting ash, together with their combustion properties make them an attractive resource. Future studies should examine the sustainability of supply chains for these fuels to ensure good carbon reduction. Torrefaction shows promise for improving many characteristics of the fuels for use in both large scale power stations and more widely for domestic purposes

The Impact of Process Innovation on Organisational Performance

Abstract Innovation has been at the heart of economic and social development. The rise of modern industrial powers in North America and Europe as well as the economic success of many recent developing countries were all based on rapid increases in the speed of technological process and managerial innovations. As such it is imperative for developing countries to focus on and understand the effective innovation policies as a means to promote public welfare and growth. The objectives of the study are to determine if Process Innovation has significant effect on Organisational Performance and also to examine if there is a significant relationship between Process Service Modification and Sales Volume. 114 copies of questionnaire were administered to NNPC Staffs-Ikoyi branch in Lagos State Nigeria to get primary data that treated and tested appropriate research questions and hypotheses accordingly. The study adopted survey method and Cronbach Alpha for test retest reliability. SPSS was also employed in testing the research hypothesis. The study found out that process innovation has a significant effect on organisational performance and there exist a significant relationship between service modification and sales volume. The study recommends that there should be clarified objectives with the process innovation project which helped to visualize a future layout and also a clear linkage between suppliers and uncertainty reduction in the process innovation must be observed which reduced uncertainties in process times for the current state and the future

Rethinking the Nigerian youth emigration surge: An invitation to patriotism-nurturing emigration

Perhaps more than any time in recent history, the number of talented, young Nigerians leaving the country in search of better life prospects is preponderantly at its apogee. “The proportion of youth planning to leave Nigeria permanently increased from 36 percent in 2014 to 52 percent in 2018… [while] the number of international migrants from Nigeria…increased from around 450,000 in 1990 to 1.4 million in 2019” (Adhikari, Clemens, Dempster, & Ekeator, 2021, July 19). From the Canadian Federal Skilled Worker’s Program, the various U.S. green card pathways, to studying abroad in Asia, Australia, Europe and South Africa, Nigerian youths seek myriad of ways—sometimes casting caution to the wind—to rescue their future from the limitation-perpetuating vicissitudes that plague the youth demography in contemporary Nigeria.Ope

Characterization of selected Nigerian biomass for combustion and pyrolysis applications

Biomass is the most utilized form of renewable energy, especially in developing nations, and is a possible replacement for fossil fuel in power generation. The most commonly used method for recovering energy from biomass is combustion. Many countries are exploring the utilization of energy crops and indigenous residues to deliver sustainable sources of biomass. For these bio-resources, detailed characterization of the fuel properties is essential in order to optimize the combustion processes. In this study, some potential energy crops and woods from Nigeria, namely Terminalia superba, Gmelina arborea, Lophira alata, Nauclea diderrichii, and also one abundant agricultural residue, palm kernel expellers (PKE), were characterized for their combustion properties. Standard characterization methods such as proximate and ultimate analyses, metals analysis, and ash fusion test were used for this purpose and the results were compared with some U.K. biomass. In addition, their thermal conversion was assessed by thermogravimetric analysis and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). Finally, combustion studies were conducted by suspending single biomass particles in a methane flame to obtain information on reactivities and combustion characteristics. Results indicate that the ash fractions in the Nigerian woods were low in K, Si, and Ca, resulting in low calculated alkali indices, hence these fuels are not predicted to cause severe fouling problems. Furthermore, the analysis of the evolved product during devolatilisation from Py-GC-MS suggests that the content of oil is high in Gmelina. Finally, the results from the single particle combustion experiments revealed a longer char burn out rate for Lophira and Nauclea when compared with those of Terminalia and Gmelina

Underrepresented racial, ethnic, and ability groups (UREAG): Scholarship, community, and advocacy

Underrepresented Racial, Ethnic, and Ability Groups (UREAG), a Standing Committee of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), brings together diverse scholars and professionals from all over the world through its various programmatic platforms during and beyond the CIES annual conference, to engage in intentional and candid conversations about systemic and institutional equity and access issues that affect minoritized populations. Beyond engaging in dialogues, UREAG identifies and removes barriers to increasing effective participation of underrepresented racial, ethnic, and ability groups in CIES policies and programs.Ope

Chemical Kinetics of Alkaline Pretreatment of Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Prior Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Background: Napier grass is a naturally abundant waste material that can be cultivated over a vast area of land which makes it a viable source for sugar and bioethanol production. Introduction: The presence of lignin in the biomass makes cellulose inaccessible for conversion to useful products, however, in order to provide for efficient utilization of the waste material, reagent and energy, a study on the kinetics of lignin removal from Napier grass was carried out in this work using 1 and 3 w/w % NaOH at temperatures between 80 and 120°C. Materials & Methods: Based on the investigation, there was increased lignin removal for increased NaOH concentration. Kinetic parameters were also determined and it was observed that, the reaction of lignin in Napier grass with NaOH obeys a pseudo-zero or pseudo-fractional order kinetics. Furthermore, the orders of the reaction for the pretreatment conditions of 3 w/w% NaOH at 100°C and those of 3 and 1 w/w NaOH at 120°C gave close reaction orders of 0.2, 0.22 and 0.24 respectively after 110 minutes, which implies that, for the three cases, the residual lignin in the extract was almost the same at the pretreatment conditions while slight differences are evident in their pseudo rate constants. Also, it was observed that, the activation energy of the reaction reduced significantly as the concentration of NaOH increased from 1w/w - 3 w/w%. Conclusion: Based on the AIL and the total lignin (i.e. AIL + ASL) in the Napier grass, the recorded delignification efficiencies at the optimum pretreatment time of 17.5 h are 90 and 76% respectively. In addition, the adopted Differential Technique (DT) combined with the Ostwald Method of Isolation (OMI) can be accurately used to study the kinetics of lignin removal from Napier grass

Prediction of Carcass Weight from Live Body Weight and Morpho-Biometric Traits of Male Nigerian Indigenous Chickens Using Path Coefficient Analysis

Carcass weight has great economic importance in poultry industry and is associated with other traits. This study investigates correlations among morpho-biometric traits (body length (BL), thigh length (TL), breast girth (BL), shank length (SL) and wing length (WL), livebody weight (LBW) and carcass weight (CW) in male chickens and quantifies the direct and indirect influence of LBW and morpho-biometric traits on CW. The aforementioned traits were measured in 187 male Nigerian indigenous chickens at 20 weeks of age. Correlation and regression coefficients among the traits were obtained to determine the intensity and nature of their association while the path analysis was used to investigate effects of LBW and morpho-biometric traits on CW trait. All analyses were done by SAS 9.1.3 software. The correlation coefficients among morpho-biometric traits, LBW and CW ranged from 0.1953 to 0.9930. The highest correlation was between LBW and CW (0.9930). The results showed a positive and highly significant correlation (P 0.05). The LBW had the highest direct influence on CW followed by BG. Individual pre-selection for these traits could favour an increased CW in the future generations of this chicken type since the LBW and the BG are directly related to CW