Level of energy for the efficient utilization of urea

LD2668 .T4 1967 A382Master of Scienc

Appraisal of Trends and Patterns of Immunization in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State

Childhood immunization is the initiation of World Health Organization (WHO) through the administration of vaccine to children below the age of five (5) years. It is considered important for improving child survival. This is because more than 10 million children in developing countries die every year because they do not access effective interventions such as immunization that could fight common and preventable childhood illnesses. The study adopted a survey research design and applied multi stage sampling techniques to sample 280 respondents in the study area. The first stage involved the splitting of the local government into wards. The second stage involves selecting streets, while the third stage was sampling households. In all, 6 wards were sampled for the study. The study utilized both primary and secondary sources of data. Two hundred and eighty (280) structured questionnaires were administered while twenty health personnel were interviewed. Descriptive statistics like tables, frequencies and percentages were employed in presenting and interpreting the data. Information from the qualitative data was transcribed and ordered in themes to ensure that outstanding points of the responses are noted. One of the strategies that has been adopted but must be strengthened is community engagement. The study concluded that there is under coverage of the local government area by health personnel in administering immunization vaccine. Most parents in rural areas denied seeing health workers in their community during immunization days. Parents out rightly denied health workers access to administer immunization vaccine on their children due to religious and cultural factors. Similarly, parents in the local government have negative perception on immunization vaccine. The study made the following recommendations; proper engagement of communities; the proper persons in the community is liaised with; proper incentives are provided and benefits are clearly explained; aggressive enlightenment by government and development partners to minimize misconception of immunization vaccine and increase acceptance.Key Words: Immunization, vaccine, Survival, acceptability and Healt

Spatial location and utilization of maternal healthcare services by women in Niger East Senatorial Zone

Maternal healthcare remains a major challenge to the global public health system, especially in developing countries. Access to appropriate health care including skilled birth attendance at delivery and timely referrals to emergency obstetric care services can greatly reduce maternal deaths and disabilities, yet women in Niger East Senatorial continue to face limited access to skilled delivery services. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design using multi-stage sampling methods to achieve the required sample size of one thousand four hundred and forty-five (1,445) respondents. Questionnaires were administered to women of reproductive age (15-49 years), who are married. The respondents were selected from the sampled local government in Niger State. All the interviews were administered face-to-face ensuring 100% completion of the copies of the questionnaires. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) was also used for data collection. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study revealed that: socio-economic index, who takes decision on health matter and religion were determinants of access to maternal health service. Women in households with high socioeconomic index are more likely to access maternal health services than those in households with low socioeconomic index (p<.001). Furthermore, women in households where men monopolized decision making are less likely to access maternal health services than women where joint decision is taken (p<.001). The higher the level of education of a woman the greater her access to maternal health services in health facility (p<.001). Finally, the study showed that there is high prevalence of maternal mortality rate in the study area, poverty is identified as one of the major barriers to accessing maternal health services and high illiteracy level among women is responsible for inability to access maternal health services.Keywords: Spatial location, Utilisation, Access, healthcare and wome

Political Violence Amongst Youth Groups in Africa's Budding Democracies - An Explorative Studies of Concepts, Issues and Experiences

Democratic processes the world over have exhibited tremendous challenges of diverse dimensions especially in emerging African states that are struglling to enthrone this valuable approach to management and public governance

Impact of Banking Sector Credit on the Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of banking sector credit on the growth of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to investigate whether banking sector credit has significant impact on the growth of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria. As part of the methodology, annual data between 1985 and 2010 was collected and used in the study while descriptive statistics, correlation matrix and error correction model was used to test the formulated hypotheses which reveals that banking sector credit has significant impact on the growth of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria as it has positive impact on some major macro-economic variables of growth such as inflation, exchange rate, trade debts etc. The study however, recommends that financial lending institutions (Monetary Authorities) should relax the stringent conditions associated with credit facility in the funding of SMEs in the country so as to encourage easy accessibility of loans which will help in improving SME’s financing and performance. Keywords: Banking Sector Credit, SME Financing, Growth, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, Nigeri

Board Diversity or Tokenism: A Case for Social Inclusion and an Efficiency Model

This exploratory paper examines the concept of diversity as a dynamic of board effectiveness. The study argues that diversity hardly works without putting in place systems and programmes that promote social inclusion, and, as such, research on board diversity must account for this element in building empirical frameworks and model specifications. The study finds that a great majority of previous studies have ignored this variable of significant importance and, in some instances, conflated it with diversity itself. This represents a material flaw that needs to be addressed. This paper offers guidance on how to measure and account for social inclusion and integration in board diversity research. Finally, a portfolio efficiency frontier model is proposed as a mechanism for differentiating between corporations with efficient board diversity and those that are tokenism based

Effect of Capital Structure on Performance of Listed Consumer Goods Companies in Nigeria

Managers of corporate entities are mostly in a confrontation with the problem of; what combination of capitalstructure (equity and debt) will maximizereturns and value of their firms? The study,therefore, aims at assessing the effect of capital structure on the financial performance of listed Consumer goodscompanies in Nigerian. All consumer goods companies quoted on the NigerianStock Exchange are considered the population for this study while seven (7) out of these firms whose accounting year-ends31 December are considered as the sample.Secondary data was utilized from theannual financial reports of the sampled firms from the year 2008 – 2013, which was obtained from African Financial websiteand official website of Nigerian Stock Exchange. The study used ex-post factoresearch design to examine the relationship between independent and dependentvariables while controlling for other variables. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and hierarchical multipleregression analyzes were carried out to test the hypothesesdeveloped in the study. The study found that there is a positive and significant relationship between firm’s capitalstructure and corporate financial performance. The study specifically foundthat short-term debt (STD) has no significance positive effect on return onequity (ROE) while Long-term debt (LTD) has positive relation and significantlyeffect on ROE. The study recommends that firms should consider the mixture ofequity and debt since they are major determinants of corporate performance.Authorities concerned should create an enabling business environment forcompanies (especially those with low capital) so as to have access to long-term debt to finance their operations andimprove performance in the short-run, instead of using high short-term debts,to cushions for financing and profitability problems.Keywords:Capital Structure, Firm Performance, Short-term debt, Long-term debt,Return on Equit

Yield and yield components of bread wheat as influenced by water stress, sowing date and cultivar in Sokoto, Sudan Savannah, Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted during 2009/10 and 2010/2011 dry seasons at the Fadama Teaching and Research Farm of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, in the Sudan Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria (latitude 13°01'N; longitude 5°15'E, altitude of 350 m above sea level) to study the effect of water stress, sowing date and cultivar on yield and yield components of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The treatments consisted of factorial combination of water stress at three critical growth stages which was imposed by withholding water at tillering, flowering, grain filling and control (no stress), four sowing dates (21st November, 5th December, 19th December and 2nd January) and two bread wheat cultivar (Star 11 TR 77173/SLM and Kuaz/Weaver), laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. Water stress and date of sowing were assigned to the main-plot, while variety was assigned to the sub-plots. Result revealed that water stress at tillering significantly reduced spike length and grains per spike. Whereas, water stress at flowering and grain filling significantly reduced 1000-grain weight, grain yield and harvest index. Results also indicated significant (P < 0.05) effect of sowing date on length of spike, spikelets per spike, grains per spike and grain yield. Early sown wheat significantly differed from the late sown wheat in all parameters measured. Yield and yield components decreased with delay in sowing date and it was highest at 21st November and 5th December and lowest at 19th December and 2nd January, therefore wheat should be sown in November or at least first week of December in this area and other area with similar climate. Variety had significant effect on spike per m-2, grain yield and harvest index. Water stress at flowering and grain filling should be avoided as they are the most critical growth stages in yield determination in wheat, because plants cannot recover, while delay in sowing resulted in reduction in yield and yield components. Star II TR 77173/SLM is therefore recommended for the area

Comparative Physio-Chemical Evaluation of Different Brands of Lauha Bhasmas

Objectives: Rasashastra is a subject which deals with metals and its therapeutic effect. It mentions the use of metals in a refined form as bhasma. Lauha is used extensively in the Ayurvedic literature for the management of various diseases like Pandu (Anemia), Shotha (Oedema), Kamala (Jaundice) etc. It is very hard metal hence it should be made into bhasma for using it for medicinal purposes. During storage of the formulation no of physical or chemical changes may occur which may affect efficacy of Lauha Bhasma. Pharmaceutical and analytical studies were conducted during the storage conditions of the Lauha bhasma to know the changes in the chemical composition at various stages. The present work was conducted to establish the quality aspects of the use of Lauha bhasma. Methods: But to make the bhasma globally acceptable some of the modern parameters adapted to evaluation such as organoleptic evaluations, physical evaluations (Loss on drying, Ash value, Acid insoluble ash, Ash value extractive, Phytochemical screening by TLC), chemical evaluations (Qualitative determination of metals such as Sodium, Iron & Potassium). We purchased two well established brands of Lauha bhasma from India and subjected to above mentioned evaluations in laboratory using standard official procedures. Results: Result showed that brand A was found complying LOD (0.39% w/w), Total ash (0.93%), Acid insoluble ash (103.08%), Alcohol soluble ash (17%), Water soluble ash (20%), Phytochemical TLC screening Rf 0.5 with color Yellow, Qualitative metal Iron present and quantitative Iron as Fe2O3 95.578% with Iron as Fe 73.211% standard set as per Indian Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia. But other brand B was found LOD (0.43% w/w), Total ash (0.72%), Acid insoluble ash (115.06%), Alcohol soluble ash (15%), Water soluble ash (18%), Phytochemical TLC screening Rf 0.22 with color Purple, Qualitative metal Iron present and quantitative Iron as Fe2O3 82.245% with Iron as Fe 60.205%. Conclusion: So, our study suggests that brand B total ash value less revels less care taken during its preparation as compared to brand A. Higher limit of acid insoluble ash of brand B revels that silica presence or calcium oxalate content of drug is very high. As per our observation sample A product as per quality control parameters more reliable and may be more effective to patients

Perinatal Mortality in a Northwestern Nigerian City: A Wake up Call

Background: In Nigeria, of the over 900,000 children under the age of 5 years that die every year, perinatal mortality is responsible for a little over 20%. Previous reports are largely from the southern part of the country. This is the first report of perinatal data from the northwest of Nigeria. Methods: A case control study of perinatal deaths in the three major public hospitals in Katsina metropolis was carried out to determine the pattern of perinatal deaths in the metropolis. Data were collected over a 6 week period on maternal socio-demographic, antenatal, and delivery variables. Data were similarly obtained on neonatal profile and morbidities. Results: There were 143 perinatal deaths (94 stillbirths and 49 early neonatal deaths) out of 1104 live and stillbirths during the study period. The perinatal mortality rate was thus 130 per 1000 births with a stillbirth rate of 85 per 1000 births and an early neonatal mortality rate of 49 per 1000 live births. Stillbirths during the intrapartum period were twice as frequent as macerated stillbirths (2:1). Maternal factors significantly associated with perinatal deaths included chorioamnionitis, ruptured uterus, multiple gestation, medically induced delivery, prolonged labor, unbooked pregnancies, antepartum hemorrhage, and prolonged rupture of membranes. Antepartum hemorrhage was the strongest determinant of perinatal death. Significant neonatal determinants were multiple gestation, severe birth asphyxia, apnea, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Apnea was the strongest neonatal determinant. The majority (83.2%) of perinatal deaths were due to severe perinatal asphyxia (SPA) (54.5%), normally formed macerated stillbirths (20.3%), and immaturity (8.4%). Conclusion: In conclusion, Perinatal Mortality in Katsina metropolis in northwest Nigeria is unacceptably high as we approach the timeline for the millennium development goals. Antepartum hemorrhage and SPA are major determinants