Fractional integration analysis of precipitation dynamics: empirical insights from Nigeria.

This paper deals with the time series analysis of precipitation patterns in Africa’s most populated nation using recently developed flexible modelling techniques to study the monthly precipitation data of some major economically viable and highly populated regions in Nigeria. The results indicate that there is a significant trend for Lagos rainfall data, implying that precipitations have systematically increased over time in this city. Additionally, the seasonal component is more prominent in the cases of Kano and Kaunda than for Ibadan and Lagos. The findings of this study have relevant policy implications for forecasting, agricultural planning, relating precipitation variability in Nigeria with standard climate drivers, as well as for disaster or risk reduction in the context of climate change, global warming and migration in the post-pandemic era.post-print1029 K

Hypogonadism among obese type 2 diabetic men in South-Western Nigeria

Background: Studies have shown that hypogonadism is closely related to the development of Type 2 Diabetes. This study aimed to assess  hypogonadism among type 2 diabetic and obese male patients in Southwest Nigeria.Methods: One hundred and twenty men consisting of thirty obese diabetics, thirty non-obese diabetics, thirty obese non-diabetics and thirty non-obese non-diabetics, were included in the study. Participants were interviewed to obtain data on biodata, reproductive characteristics, and  anthropometry. Venous Blood was collected for the determination of fasting plasma Glucose, glycated haemoglobin, and reproductive hormonal levels.Results: The prevalence of hypogonadism in this study was 20.8%. The mean age of all the participants was 43.39 ± 5.21, most men being in the 40-44 years age group. In this age group, over a third (40%) of the men had low testosterone. Out of the 60 participants who were diabetic, 18 (30%) had low testosterone, two-third of whom (66.7%) were obese. Mean testosterone was significantly lower in obese diabetics when compared with non-obese diabetics. The mean testosterone and FSH were significantly lower in obese non-diabetics as well. Both diabetic and non-diabetic groups had significantly higher estrogen in the obese participants, than in the non-obese.Conclusion: In conclusion, hypogonadism is a common finding among diabetic men, and it occurs in higher frequency with coexisting obesity. Hence, a holistic approach in the treatment of male patients with hypogonadism, type 2 diabetics and obesity should be considered, in order to safeguard their reproductive health. Key Words: Hypogonadism, obesity, FSH, LH, testosterone, Nigeria

Socioeconomic Uses of Non-Timber Forest Products among Urban Dwellers in Oyo State, Nigeria.

This study assessed the socioeconomic importance of   Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) among  the urban dwellers  in Oyo State. Two hundred and thirty (230) structured questionnaires were administered at household level. Both random and proportionate sampling techniques were adopted. Data were sourced on the basis of senatorial districts. The three senatorial districts are Oyo South, Oyo Central and Oyo North with a population size of 1,764,217, 1,906,814 and 1,909,863 respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents; the multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the factors affecting the utilization of NTFPs. The result of the multiple regression coefficient of 0.79 indicates that 79% of the independent variables explain the dependent variable. Therefore educational level, marital status, household size and household income explain significant variation in the level of utilization of NTFPs in the study area, while variables such as age and sex were not significant in determining the variation in the level of the utilization of NTFPs. Some of the reasons given by the respondents for using the NTFPs include cheapness, availability and accessibility and some of the sources where they obtain the NTFPs were given as market, hawkers, forest and friends. Efforts should therefore be made by government and relevant research institutes to train the people on the domestication of these NTFPs to achieve sustainability, Pharmaceutical involvement to make more refine herbal or medicinal products, and  create more awareness about efficacy of  NTFPs in nutrition and  medicine. Keywords: Nontimber forest products, Utilization, Urban Dwellers

NEXUS BETWEEN USERS’ PERCEIVED RISK, PERCEIVED LEGISLATION AND E-COMMERCE ACCEPTANCE: IMPLICATIONS FOR E-COMMERCE ADOPTION IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

This paper investigates the impact of perceived risk and perceived legislation on ecommerce acceptance. Questionnaire was used to collect data from 666 come-toclaim customers of top 4 e-Commerce organizations. Hypotheses were tested using Hierarchical Regression Analysis. The results revealed that perceived risk and legislation have significant effects on e-Commerce acceptance. The study expanded the application of theory discussed in this study which allow for contribution to the theorizing of e-commerce adoption by substituting behavioural variables with internet security variables to the already established UTAUT model. The paper recommends that government should provide a regulatory framework to drive the e-commerce sector

Behavioural biting preference of Culex quinquefasciatus in human host in Lagos metropolis Nigeria

Background & objectives: Olfactory cues play an important role in the attraction of major diseasevectors towards their host. Hence we intend to investigate the contribution of selected parts of thehuman host on the behavioural biting preference of Culex quinquefasciatus.Methods: Two volunteers were trained to collect host seeking female mosquitoes landing to feed ondifferent parts of the lower limbs. The Cx. quinquefasciatus were collected in paper cups with the aidof a flash-light and aspirator. Each paper cup was labeled to represent the selected parts where themosquitoes were collected.Results: The composition of Cx. quinquefasciatus from the total mosquitoes collected showed thatCx. quinquefasciatus was more predominant (90%) over other species present. The average minimumand maximum atmospheric temperature recorded during the night catches were 27 and 29.5oC whilethe average relative humidity range was 78–81.6%. The behavioural biting preference results obtainedshowed that the density of Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes preferring the foot region (298) wassignificantly higher (p > 0.05) when compared with other different parts of the human host such asthe ankle, calf and the thigh.Interpretation & conclusion: The study indicates that the foot region of the human host has a strongerinfluence in orientating mosquitoes towards the human host. Hence, the exploitation of thecharacteristic human odour will add to the existing vector control strategies

The economic burden of medical management of glaucoma in South Western Nigeria: the patient's perspective

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide; it is especially common in sub Saharan Africa where it poses serious long-term health and economic concerns. To evaluate from the patient's perspective, the economic cost of receiving care for primary open angle glaucoma in the outpatient eye clinic of a tertiary hospital, south western part of Nigeria. Consecutive consenting adult patients attending the outpatient eye clinic of the hospital being managed for primary open angle glaucoma with medical therapy only, were retrospectively recruited into the study. Information was obtained from the clinical records and with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 53 patients were enrolled into the study with mean age of 65.3 ± 11.6 years. Majority were retirees (34%), traders (30%) and civil servants (21%). The average direct medical cost per annum was N65,342.26 ± 54,866.92(US$209.10 ± 175.57) and average quantifiable indirect cost per annum was N17,799.47 ± 34977.25 (US$56.96 ± 111.93). Majority (62.3%) were solely responsible for funding the cost incurred while only 13% of patients had health insurance coverage. There was no significant difference in the costs incurred by insured and uninsured patients except for user fee. Out-of-pocket expenses for the medical management of primary open glaucoma was mainly incurred on direct medical cost. Health insurance coverage did not significantly reduce the financial burden on patients