Estimation of farm level technical efficiency and its determinants among male and female sweet potato farmers in Imo State, Nigeria

With the difficulties encountered by the farmers in adopting improved technologies, increasing resource use efficiency has become a very significant factor in increasing productivity. Therefore, this study was designed to estimate the farm level technical efficiency and its determinants among male and female sweet potato farmers. Primary data collected from a random sample of 120 sweet potato farmers (64 females and 56 males) were subjected to production function analysis. The result showed that fertilizer and farm size positively affected output for both farmer groups. Labour and capital positively affected output for the females while quantity of sweet potato vine affected the output of the male farmers positively. The mean technical efficiency for the female farmers was higher (92%) than that of their male (85%) counterparts. Farming experience and access to credit were positive and significantly related to technical efficiency for both farmer groups, while no significant relationship was found between technical efficiency and level of education, co‐operative membership and age for both farmer groups. Therefore, policies for improving farmers’ access to credit, land and extension contact would enhance efficiency and productivity.Keywords: male and female farmers, sweet potato, technical efficiencyEthiopian Journal of Economics vol 20 (1) 201

Ethnomedicinal Aspects of Plants Used as Spices and Condiments in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria

The ethnomedicinal applications of the plant species used primarily as spices and condiments among the indigenous peoples of the Niger Delta area of Nigeria were examined. A total of 24 species belonging to 10 different families were found to have varying applications in ethnobotany and ethnomedicine. The studies indicate that the indigenous people have also developed different methods for collecting, processing, using and conserving these valuable plants and/or their products. The contributions of this study towards the understanding, documentation and safeguarding of indigenous knowledge and use of plants are discussed

Evaluating coefficient of performance and rate of moisture loss of some biomass humidifiers materials with a developed simple direct stand-alone evaporative cooling system for farmers

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of deploying direct evaporative cooler with Jute fiber, palm fruit mesocarp fiber and wooden charcoal as humidifier in Nigeria. High cost of imported evaporative coolers and humidifiers can discourage farmers and limited adoption of evaporative cooling technology. For this purpose an experimental direct evaporative cooling test rig was developed and assembled in south western Nigeria with biomass humidifier. The evaluation parameters were the humidifying efficiency, the rate of moisture loss, coefficient of performance and sensible heat ratio. The humidifier presented average cooling efficiency of 55.9 to 78.62 %, average rate of moisture loss of 1.37 × 10 -3 to 2.61 × 10 -3 kg/s, average COP of 8.48 to 23.42 (EER of 11 to 78) and average sensible heat ratio of 1.28 × 10 -4 to 4.06 × 10 -4 for the air velocity of 3.0 to 4.5 m/s. The obtain performance can be better in a dryer month or nearly impossible in a very wet month as the humidifying efficiency of direct evaporative coolers are found to diminish at high humidity. To avoid casting doubt on the effectiveness of direct evaporative cooler by farmers, it should only serve as stop gap preservation equipment and deployed during the favorable weather condition especially during the winter when the air is dry. These can be identified from the metrological charts of the chosen location.Peer reviewe

Oil Exploration and Production Waste Management Practices: Comparative Analysis for Reduction in Hazardous E & P Waste Generation in Offshore Oil Platforms in Nigeria

One way in which oil exploration and production (E & P) has negatively impacted the environment of the host oil bearing communities is by the generation of hazardous E & P wastes and its’ unwholesome disposal. The study analyzed oil exploration and production waste generation in offshore platforms and the management procedures and practices in Nigeria. The aim of the study was to determine the quantities of different forms of E & P waste being generated from offshore platforms so as to bring about a reduction in hazardous E & P waste generation in offshore platforms by using technology to recycle it into useful products. The study also assessed the effect of increase in years of usage (aging) of oil production platforms on the quantity of E & P waste produced in the platforms. The case study approach was adopted, in which 6 offshore platforms of Total E & P Nigeria Limited were used as case studies and statistical data on E & P waste generation in the platforms were collected from 2010 – 2013, spanning a 4- year period. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical method was employed in analyzing the data and F – Test was used to test the significance of the null hypotheses. The test showed the acceptance of null hypothesis, H0A and the rejection of null hypothesis H0B, and the conclusion that increase in usage years (Aging) of offshore oil platforms does not cause a significant difference in the quantity of E & P waste generation in the platforms. It was recommended among other things that modern waste recycling technology be adopted by stakeholders and continuously improved upon, to convert hazardous and other forms of E & P wastes into useful products. Keywords: oil exploration, production waste, analysis, reduction, hazardous waste, generation, Nigeria

Geospatial technology, a satellite -based change detection agent: imperative for analysis and management of vegetation resources in developing economy

The application of geospatial technology, apart from being used in diverse specialty of human endeavours, has made immense contribution towards monitoring and evaluating the vulnerability and changing pattern of diverse vegetation ecosystems. Thus, it is being rated among the most accurate means of detecting the trend of canopy cover conditions of a locality over a period of time. In the light of this, the present review focused on geospatial tool as a satellite-based change detection agent for the analysis of vegetation in sustainable resource management. Following the various conventional approaches to a critical review, the application of geospatial tool in the in-situ and ex-situ analytical phases has indicated its usefulness in evaluation of vegetation ecosystem. It has also proven useful in vegetation resource location and management, harvest planning, fire management, map development, strategic planning, modelling and statistical analysis. Its benefit for detecting changes gives more perspectives than the prehistoric ground measurement. It is faster, easier, energy and time-saving and accurately improving organisational integration. Though of great importance in change detection, geospatial tool is associated with four major issues which include institutional, social, economic and infrastructural challenges. However, researchers should be encouraged to explore this application in order to detect future trend (forecasting) and make researches more globally acceptable

Geospatial technology, a satellite -based change detection agent: imperative for analysis and management of vegetation resources in developing economy

The application of geospatial technology, apart from being used in diverse specialty of human endeavours, has made immense contribution towards monitoring and evaluating the vulnerability and changing pattern of diverse vegetation ecosystems. Thus, it is being rated among the most accurate means of detecting the trend of canopy cover conditions of a locality over a period of time. In the light of this, the present review focused on geospatial tool as a satellite-based change detection agent for the analysis of vegetation in sustainable resource management. Following the various conventional approaches to a critical review, the application of geospatial tool in the in-situ and ex-situ analytical phases has indicated its usefulness in evaluation of vegetation ecosystem. It has also proven useful in vegetation resource location and management, harvest planning, fire management, map development, strategic planning, modelling and statistical analysis. Its benefit for detecting changes gives more perspectives than the prehistoric ground measurement. It is faster, easier, energy and time-saving and accurately improving organisational integration. Though of great importance in change detection, geospatial tool is associated with four major issues which include institutional, social, economic and infrastructural challenges. However, researchers should be encouraged to explore this application in order to detect future trend (forecasting) and make researches more globally acceptable

Nitrogen Status of Soils of Selected Land-uses of Two Cropping Systems in the Humid Tropical Rainforest, Southeastern Nigeria

Nitrogen status of soils provides information about the capacity of soils to sustain crop productivity and maintain environmental safety. Nitrogen status of soils of selected land-use types of perennial and annual cropping systems were evaluated in the humid tropical rainforest zone, southeastern, Nigeria. Experimental design was a 6 x 3 factorial replicated 3 times in a randomized complete block setup. Total N, NH4-N, NO3-N and organic N were determined. Also correlation between selected soil properties and various N forms were estimated. Nitrogen forms significantly (LSD 0.05) decreased in the order Oil palm > cocoyam > cashew > rubber > cassava > yam, oil palm > cocoyam > rubber > cashew > yam > cassava, oil palm > cashew > rubber = cocoyam > yam > cassava and oil palm > cashew > rubber > cocoyam > yam > cassava for NH4-N, NO3-N, organic N and total N respectively and with each higher in the surface 0-15 cm than the other soil depths. Mean soil concentrations of land uses under perennial and annual cropping systems were 3.69 and 2.23 mg kg-1 NH4-N, 8.56 and 5.50 mg kg-1 NO3-N, 0.20 and 0.17 g kg-1 organic N and 0.22 and 0.19 g kg-1total N respectively, with the former better than the later. Nitrogen status of the various land use types correlated with soil clay, silt, OM, available P, ECEC and pH. In general, N status varied with land uses under perennial and annual cropping systems and low indicating the need for external N input for crop sustenance and inability for environmental pollution. Keywords: Nitrogen, Land use, Cropping Systems, Humid Tropics and Southeastern Nigeri

Model exploration and analysis for quantitative safety refinement in probabilistic B

The role played by counterexamples in standard system analysis is well known; but less common is a notion of counterexample in probabilistic systems refinement. In this paper we extend previous work using counterexamples to inductive invariant properties of probabilistic systems, demonstrating how they can be used to extend the technique of bounded model checking-style analysis for the refinement of quantitative safety specifications in the probabilistic B language. In particular, we show how the method can be adapted to cope with refinements incorporating probabilistic loops. Finally, we demonstrate the technique on pB models summarising a one-step refinement of a randomised algorithm for finding the minimum cut of undirected graphs, and that for the dependability analysis of a controller design.Comment: In Proceedings Refine 2011, arXiv:1106.348

Sexual Behavior and Abuse: A Case Study of University Undergraduates in Tertiary Institutions in Imo State, Nigeria

Introduction: In young people including adolescents, risky sexual behavior has been recognized as an important health, social and demographic concern in the developing world. Aim: To assess sexual behaviors and their association with current and life-time occurrence of sexual abuse among female undergraduates in tertiary institutions in Imo State, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a school based cross sectional study involving 600 female students selected from tertiary institutions in Imo State Nigeria, using the multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using a data software (EPI-INFO version 3.3.2). Descriptive variables were presented using summary indices, frequency tables/percentages, and graph while associations between variables were done using the Chi-square and binary regression. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of the students was 21.73.2 years. About 65.2% of the respondents have initiated sexual intercourse and of this proportion, 75.6% were sexually active in the last one year preceding survey. The mean age at initiation of sexual debut among the students was 18.93.8 years and the commonest form of sexual act practiced was penile/vaginal sex. About 15.2% of the students had been currently abused. Predictors of current sexual abuse were; ever had sexual intercourse (OR.4.63), being within 14-19 years of age at first sexual initiation, (OR: 0.42), had first sexual exposure with a casual partner (OR: 12.38), and being sexually active in the last 1 year preceding study, (OR: 2.16). Conclusion: Risky sexual behaviors were prevalent and were found to influence the occurrence of sexual abuse, among the students. Thus, there is need to institute appropriate prevention strategies to limit risky sexual behaviors and it consequences among adolescents and young adults

Spirometry Abnormalities and Its Associated Factors Among Primary School Children in a Nigerian City.

BACKGROUND: There is paucity of data on objectively measured lung function abnormalities in Nigerian children using diagnostic testing methods such as spirometry. Such assessments could prompt early diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study among children aged 6 to 12 years in South-Eastern Nigeria. We selected participants from one school using a multistage stratified random sampling technique. A structured respiratory questionnaire was administered to obtain necessary data. The lung functions of the children were measured by spirometry. We used Lower Limits of Normal (LLN) based on GLI reference equations for African-American and mixed ethnicities to define abnormal spirometry. We studied the association between the exposures and lung function using logistic regression/chi-squared tests. RESULTS: A total of 145 children performed acceptable and repeatable tests. There were 73 males (50.3%), mean age of 9.13 years (+1.5) and age range 6 to 12 years. Frequency of respiratory symptoms was cough- 64 (44.1%) and wheeze in 19 (13.1%). Using GLI for African-Americans, fifty-five (37.9%) children had abnormal spirometryobstructive pattern in 40 (27.6%) and restrictive pattern in 15 (10.3%). The two references showed significant differences in interpretation of abnormality (χ2 = 72.86; P < .001). Respiratory symptom-wheeze was an independent determinant of abnormal lung function in this population.(OR = 0.31; 95%CI: 0.10-0.94; P = .04). CONCLUSION: There is a high burden of respiratory symptoms and abnormal spirometry among these children. The need for objective evaluation of lung function especially for children with respiratory symptoms is evident