Intergovernmental Relations in Nigeria: An Assessment of Its Practice at the Local Government Level

Perhaps, an appropriate premise to commence this discourse is to embark on the clarification of the concept of intergovernmental relations because of the attendant confusion that besmeared the concept. For instance, there has been an erroneous misconception that intergovernmental relations can only be discussed only meaningfully in a federal arrangement (Ayoade, 1980). For a proper clarification of the concept, three schools of thought have developed. The first school contends that intergovernmental relations can only exist in a federal system, the second posits that intergovernmental relations can both exist within a federal structure and as well as a unitary system of government, while the third school says that intergovernmental relations could as well include international relations Bamgbose, 2008). The lesson we can learn from the above is that, intergovernmental relations exists both in the federal and unitary structures and in fact, the clamour that intergovernmental relations is only associated with the federal system should be discarded when we remember the Livingstonian definition of federalism which says that…’Federalism is not an absolute but a relative term; there is no identifiable point at which a society ceases to be unified and becomes diversified. All communities fall somewhere in a spectrum, this runs from what we may call a theoretically wholly integrated society at one extreme to a theoretically wholly diversified society at the other (Rhodes, 1983). Further still, Wright while alluding to the work of Bogdanor pointed out that other features of intergovernmental relations that set it apart from federalism included: prominence of policy (rather than mainly legal) issues, inclusion of all governmental entities-local units in addition to national-state (federal) relations, importance of officials’ attitudes and actions, regular, continuous day to day interactions among officials and, inclusion of all types of public officials- especially administrators in addition to elected officials (Wright, 1995). Intergovernmental relations (IGRs) do not just imply relationship between different government organs but involves both the citizens and governmental institutions, agencies and officials. It takes into account the said agencies and officials at various levels of the governmental operations. It is very difficult for the policy formulators to make any policy by keeping it isolated from the effect and impact of the other governmental agencies in existence at different. From the above exposition, how then can we define the concept of intergovernmental relations

A study to determine an efficient data format and data system for a lightweight deep space probe Final report, 30 Oct. 1965 - 30 Oct. 1966

Determination of efficient data format and data system for lightweight deep space prob

Ionic behavior assessment of surface-active compounds from corn steep liquor by exchange resins

Depending on their ionic nature, biosurfactants can be classified as nonionic, anionic, cationic, or amphoteric. The ionic behavior of biosurfactants is an important characteristic that dictates their use in industrial applications. In this work, a biosurfactant extract obtained from corn steep liquor was subjected to anionic or cationic resins, in order to study the ionic behavior under different operational conditions using response surface methodology. The independent variables included in the study are the dilution of biosurfactant solution, the amount of cationic or anionic resin, and the extraction time, whereas the dependent variables studied consisted of the surface tension of biosurfactant aqueous solution, after contacting with anionic or cationic resin. The results showed that biosurfactant extracted from corn steep liquor is amphoteric, since both resins were able to entrap this biosurfactant, making it particularly suited for use in personal care preparations for sensitive skin.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Anomalously large capacitance of a plane capacitor with a two-dimensional electron gas

In electronic devices where a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) comprises one or both sides of a plane capacitor, the resulting capacitance $C$ can be larger than the "geometric capacitance" $C_g$ determined by the physical separation $d$ between electrodes. This larger capacitance is known to result from the Coulomb correlations between individual electrons within the low density 2DEG, which lead to a negative thermodynamic density of states (negative compressibility). Experiments on such systems generally operate in the regime where the average spacing between electrons $n^{-1/2}$ in the 2DEG is smaller than $d$, and these experiments observe $C > C_g$ by only a few percent. A recent experiment [1], however, has observed $C$ larger than $C_g$ by almost 40% while operating in the regime $nd^2 << 1$. In this paper we argue that at $nd^2 << 1$ correlations between the electronic charge of opposite electrodes become important. We develop a theory of the capacitance for the full range of $nd^2$. We show that, in the absence of disorder, the capacitance can be $4d/a$ times larger than the geometric value, where $a << d$ is the electron Bohr radius. Our results compare favorably with the experiment of Ref. [1] without the use of adjustable parameters.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures; revised discussion of the zero density limit; some typos fixe

Assessing the Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance of Quantity Surveying Students

Previous studies have established that Emotional Intelligence (EI) has an effect on the performance of students. EI of construction students has been found to be lower than their counterparts in other disciplines. These studies, however did not evaluate the EI in relation to performance. Thus this creates a gap with regards to the relationship of EI and the academic performance of construction students. Therefore, this study assessed the emotional intelligence and academic performance among quantity surveying students. Data were collected by means of closed–ended questionnaires, which were administered online. Data gathered were analysed using descriptive (Mean, Frequency and Standard Deviations) and inferential (Analysis of Variance) statistics through the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS software). The 16-item Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale was used to evaluate the level of emotional intelligence and explore the effect on academic performance. The results of the study indicated that quantity surveying students have a high level of EI, and a significant difference was found between students EI and academic performance. Students with higher Academic performance were found to have higher level of Self-Emotion Appraisal (SEA) and Use of Emotions (UOE). However, the results did not show a significant difference under Others’ Emotion Appraisal (OEA) and Regulation of Emotions (ROE). Thus this study concluded that EI of quantity surveying students gave an indication of the level of academic performance (CGPA) and therefore recommends that EI should be incorporated into academic curricula to improve the EI level of constructionstudents.&nbsp

Experimental evidence of spatial signatures of approaching regime shifts in macroalgal canopies

Developing early warning signals to predict regime shifts in ecosystems is a central issue in current ecological research. While there are many studies addressing temporal early warning indicators, research into spatial indicators is far behind, with field experiments even more rare. Here, we tested the performance of spatial early warning signals in an intertidal macroalgal system, where removal of algal canopies pushed the system toward a tipping point (corresponding to approximately 75% of canopy loss), marking the transition between a canopy- to a turf-dominated state. We performed a two-year experiment where spatial early warning indicators were assessed in transects where the canopy was differentially removed (from 0 to 100%). Unlike Moran correlation coefficient at lag-1, spatial variance, skewness, and spatial spectra at low frequency increased along the gradient of canopy degradation and dropped, or did not show any further increase beyond the transition point from a canopy- to a turf-dominated state (100% canopy removal). Our study provides direct evidence of the suitability of spatial early warning signals to anticipate regime shifts in natural ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of field experiments as a powerful tool to establish causal relationships between environmental stressors and early warning indicators

Temporal clustering of extreme climate events drives a regime shift in rocky intertidal biofilms

Research on regime shifts has focused primarily on how changes in the intensity and duration of press disturbances precipitate natural systems into undesirable, alternative states. By contrast, the role of recurrent pulse perturbations, such as extreme climatic events, has been largely neglected, hindering our understanding of how historical processes regulate the onset of a regime shift. We performed field manipulations to evaluate whether combinations of extreme events of temperature and sediment deposition that differed in their degree of temporal clustering generated alternative states in rocky intertidal epilithic microphytobenthos (biofilms) on rocky shores. The likelihood of biofilms to shift from a vegetated to a bare state depended on the degree of temporal clustering of events, with biofilm biomass showing both states under a regime of non-clustered (60&nbsp;d apart) perturbations while collapsing in the clustered (15&nbsp;d apart) scenario. Our results indicate that time since the last perturbation can be an important predictor of collapse in systems exhibiting alternative states and that consideration of historical effects in studies of regime shifts may largely improve our understanding of ecosystem dynamics under climate change

Scanning Electron Microscopy to Establish the Marble Weathering Mechanism in the Alhambra of Granada (Spain)

The weathering processes of the white marble from Macael quarries (Almeria, Spain) used in the Alhambra of Granada have been studied with the aim of establishing the weathering factors and mechanism. Unaltered quarry samples have been submitted to diverse accelerated weathering experiments and their morphology compared to the altered materials from the monument. The weathering process stages have been established and the degree of weathering in some monumental dependencies evaluated

Preschooler Attachment and Adolescent Psychological Flexibility

Psychological Flexibility is identified as a fundamental aspect of psychological health by Kashdan (2010). Broadly, it refers to being open, aware, and actively engaged (Hayes & Monestes, 2016). Increasing Psychological Flexibility is a chief aim of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/1063/thumbnail.jp

Robots in Industry. Past,present and future of a growing collaboration with humans

Robots have been part of automation systems for a very long time, and in public perception, they are often synonymous with automation and industrial revolution perse. Fueled by Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT) concepts as well as by new software technologies, the field of robotics in industry is currently undergoing a revolution on its own. This article gives an overview of the evolution of robotics from its beginnings to recent trends like collaborative robotics, autonomous robots, and human- robot interaction. Particular attention is devoted to the deep changes of the last decades, from the traditional industrial scenario based on isolated robotic cells up to the most recent coworking and collaborative robots. The role of robotics in the Industry 4.0 framework is analyzed, and the relationships with industrial communications and software technologies are also discussed. Some future directions for robotics are envisaged, focusing on the contributions coming from new materials, sensors, actuators, and technologies. Open issues are highlighted as well as the main barriers that currently limit the deployment of industrial robots in the small and medium enterprise (SME) world