Project inception workshop communique : fostering effective tobacco control policy implementation in Nigeria

With lower tobacco control policies, Nigeria has become a hub for tobacco production in West Africa. The workshop, hosted by the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) facilitated discussions by experts regarding the ongoing research project “Fostering Effective Tobacco Control Policy Implementation in Nigeria.” Nigeria’s excise tax rates amount to about a 16 percent tax burden, relative to the 75 percent benchmark recommended by the World Health Organization. CSEA research articulates policy choices, trade-offs and implications, and is submitted to the general public and decision-makers for debate on the effects of government policies and economic growth and development in Nigeria and Africa

The Effect of Modification Methods on the Properties of Lentinus Tuber Regium Powders

The current work considered the influence of methods of modification on the physical characteristics of Lentinus Tuber Regium (LTR) powders. The sclerotia of the LTR was pulverized to 250.0 μm and coded as native Lentinus Tuber Regium (NLTR-A). A 500.0 g of NLTR-A was submerged in 3.5 % w/v sodium hypochlorite and stirred continuously for 30.0 min. The resultant slurry was washed severally with purified water until it was neutral to litmus. The mass was dried in an oven at 60.0 °C for 2.0 h, pulverized (250.0 μm) and was noted as the modified Lentinus Tuber Regiumpowder (MLTR-B). Another 500.0 g of NLTR-A was extracted with 70.0 % v/v ethanol in a Soxhlet extractor. The resultant powder was dried at 60.0 o C for 2.0 h, micronized (250.0 μm) and coded as the modified Lentinus Tuber Regium powder (MLTR-C). Additional 500.0 g of NLTR-A was submerged in 600.0 mL of 0.5 N sodium hydroxide in a 1.0 L beaker and shaken constantly for 30.0 min. The subsequent material was splashed with purified water until the material was neutral to litmus. The mass was freed from water and introduced into 200.0 mL of 0.5 N hydrochloric acid. It was agitated for 30.0 min in a water bath at 100.0 °C. It was flooded in purified water until it was neutral to litmus. The product was dried to constant weight at 60.0 °C and pulverized (250.0 μm). The product was coded as the modified Lentinus Tuber Regium powder (MLTR-D). Generally, NLTR-A, MLTR-B, MLTR-C and MLTR-D were investigated for their organoleptic, solubility, pH, moisture studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffractometry (XRD), flow parameters and densities. The results showed that both the native and the modified powders were insoluble in water and most organic solvents. The pH of the derived powders was consistently higher. SEM and XRD revealed morphological differences in each of the derived powders, though, all the powders were non-crystalline. The respective modification methods brought about an improvement in the hydrophilic and flow properties of the modified powders when compared to the native form of LT

The Economics of Tobacco Control in Nigeria: Modelling the Fiscal and Health Effects of a Tobacco Excise Tax Change

This paper examines the potential for changes in the tobacco tax to contribute to raising government revenues, reducing tobacco use, and improving public health in Nigeria. Specifically, it estimates the impact of a change in the excise tax structure and level on cigarette consumption, government revenue, smoking prevalence, net-of-tax (NOT) revenue, and the excise tax burden. To this end, we ran the Tobacco Excise Tax Simulation Model (TETSiM), adapted by the researchers to calibrate for the Nigerian context. We modelled four different policy interventions or changes to the tobacco tax structure and level, under 12 scenarios of economic/income growth (slow, medium, and high growth) and industry price response to an increase in excise taxes (either a full pass-through, or an under-shift or over-shift of the tax onto the retail price). We find that (1) cigarette consumption and smoking prevalence decrease in all 12 scenarios of possible economic/income growth and industry price changes under the policy interventions that impose higher tax levels and specific tax systems; (2) under all policy interventions and in all scenarios considered, government excise tax revenues from cigarette sales increase significantly but are most significant under the specific tax system, relative to the ad valorem tax system; (3) under all policy interventions, the best response to maximise NOT revenue for the tobacco industry is to increase the industry price; (4) under all policy interventions and in all scenarios considered, the excise tax burden to the consumer will at least double; however, since current excise tax burden is very low (at 4 per cent), the policy impact witnessed in the model remains minimal; and (5) we performed a three-year projection of the proposed policy change, which shows a consistent trend of increasing government revenues, decreasing consumption, and decreasing smoking prevalence rates if policy interventions are sustained each year over the three-year period. Based on the findings, we recommend that changes in tax policy need to be significant to have the desired effect on smoking prevalence. In particular, an effective tobacco control tax policy will require that: the tax system is changed from ad valorem to specific tax system; and the excise tax burden on tobacco products is continuously increased at least until it reaches 75 per cent

Procjena dobi ploda u crvenih Sokoto koza (Capra hircus) pomoću ultrazvučnih mjerenja različitih pokazatelja

The ultrasonic measurements of occipitonasal length (ONL), orbital (OD), biparietal (BPD), placentome (PD) and umbilical cord (UCD) diameters of red Sokoto goat foetuses with known gestational age (GA) were obtained. The data were subjected to simple linear regression analysis. The derived age prediction equations were GA = 22.881 + 6.668ONL, GA = 26.938 + 14.300BPD, GA = 17.326 + 43.534OD, GA = 48.116 + 11.869PD, GA = 35.796 + 65.195UCD where GA is the gestational age (days), ONL - occipitonasal length, BPD - biparietal, OD - orbital, PD - placentome and UCD - umbilical cord diameters (cm). The foetal ages ranged between 57 and 124 days. The coefficient of correlation (R) between occipitonasal length (R = 0.97), biparietal (R = 0.98), orbital (R = 0.92), umbilical cord (R = 0.77) diameters and gestational age were highly significant (P<0.001). The placentome diameter had low correlation (R = 0.45) with gestational age. These results suggest that occipitonasal length, biparietal, orbital and umbilical cord diameters can be used to estimate foetal age in red Sokoto goats, while placentome diameter is not useful for age prediction in this breed.Provedena su ultrazvučna mjerenja okcipitonazalne dužine (OND), orbitalnoga promjera (OP), biparijetalnoga promjera (BPP), promjera placentoma (PP) i promjera pupčanoga tračka (PPT) plodova crvene okoto koze poznate gestacijske dobi (GD). Rezultati su bili analizirani pomoću jednostavne linearne regresije. Izvedene jednadžbe za predviđene dobi bile su GD = 22,881 + 6,668 OND, GA = 26,938 + 14,300 BPP, GA = 17,326 + 43,534 OP, GA = 48,116 + 11,869 PP, GA = 35,796 + 65,195 PPT gdje je GD gestacijska dob u danima, OND - okcipitonazalna dužina, BPP - biparijetalni promjer, OP - orbitalni promjer, PP - promjer placentoma i PPT - promjer pupčanoga tračka u cm. Dob plodova kretala se od 57 do 124 dana. Koefi cijent korelacije (R) između okcipitonazalne dužine (R = 0,97), biparijetalnoga (R = 0,98), orbitalnoga (R = 0,92), i promjera pupčanoga tračka (R = 0,77) te gestacijske dobi bio je značajno velik (P<0,001). Promjer placentoma bio je u niskoj korelacije (R = 0,45) s gestacijskom dobi. Rezultati upućuju na zaključak da se okcipitonazalna dužina, biparijetalni, orbitalni i promjer pupčanoga tračka mogu rabiti za procjenu dobi ploda u crvenih Sokoto koza, dok promjer placentoma nije od koristi za određivanje dobi plodova

Impact of Social Entrepreneurship on Youth Economic Empowerment in Kaduna Meropolis, Kaduna-Nigeria

There are certain kinds of people who garner enormous satisfaction from successfully taking on a “mission impossible” and, by so doing, actually manage to change the world, or wherever they live, sometimes in surprising ways. Such individuals are rare, and when we become aware of them and their astonishing achievements, we observe that they cannot easily be ignored. Such individuals are the products of rural as well as urban areas; of developing as well as developed countries; of large cities as well as remote areas; they may be Hausas/Fulanis from Northern Nigeria, or Yorubas from the South-Western Nigeria, or Igbos from the Souh-Eastern Nigeria, or other tribes like the Tivs, Gwaris and Nupes from north-entral Nigeria,  Kanuris from the northeastern Nigeria. They may be well- known figures, such as Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Gen. TY Danjuma, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Wazirin Adamawa), Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, or anonymous, unrecognized individuals from cities and small villages in Nigeria and elsewhere. Social entrepreneurship has emerged as a contemporary issue in the social arena. It is a concept well suited for our age because it makes a call for entrepreneurial activities to spearhead the resolving of social issues in our communities; since many governmental and charitable efforts have failed to meet the existing social needs (Dees, 2001). Societies are dealing with social challenges such as youth unemployment, poverty, hunger, terrorism, floods, health care challenges, infrastructural inadequacies, and maternal mortality, among others. All these challenges are capable of affecting the social wellbeing of individuals. Life can only be interesting if there are tools and strategies readily available for dealing with these challenges. Social challenges at different levels (global, national or regional) require special strategies and tools for handling them. The complexities of social challenges experienced in most parts of Nigeria, especially Kaduna metropolis demands a more creative and innovative approach in balancing these pressures and constraints geared towards overcoming these challenges as well as initializing sustainable development in our communities

Implicit-explicit higher-order time integration schemes for computations of structural dynamics with fluid-structure interaction

In this paper higher order implicit Runge-Kutta schemes are applied to fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations. A staggered approach with a structural predictor is applied to an FSI problem. The equations governing the dynamics of the structure are integrated in time by the Explicit Single Diagonal Implicit Runge-Kutta (ESDIRK) schemes and the arbitrary high order finite volume scheme is taken as the fluid solver. The performance of the ESDIRK scheme of order of convergence three to five is tested. Comparative studies with other time integration schemes which have been successfully applied to FSI problems are undertaken. Comparisons to test the performance of the scheme are carried out. The staggered approach is applied to couple the structure and the compressible fluid, therefore the added mass effect is not considered. However the influence of the structural predictors is analyzed through energy conservation

Perceptions of mental health nurses about psychosocial management of depression in adolescents, North West province, South Africa

Background: Depression in adolescents is a multifactorial global public health concern, with devastating consequences on the sufferer. The prevalence of depression amongst this age group is on the rise, and thus there is the need for greater attention. Aim: To explore and describe the perceptions of mental health nurses regarding the psychosocial management of depression in adolescents in North West province, South Africa. Setting: The study was conducted in two mental healthcare institutions and two mental healthcare units within two general hospitals in North West province, South Africa. Method: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used in conducting this study. Data were collected through focus group discussions from four groups of mental health nurses from each of the mental healthcare institutions and mental healthcare units with 18 mental health nurses. Data were analysed using Tesch’s open coding method. Results: Two themes emerged from the study: comprehensive psychosocial management and involvement of different stakeholders. Conclusion: The findings revealed clear psychosocial management for depression in adolescents. Adopting the findings of this study could improve depressive symptoms and curtail the prevalence of depression amongst adolescents in the North West province, South Africa

Qualitative Analysis of Adolescents’ Sexual Behaviour in Ogun State, Nigeria: Implication for HIV/AIDS Policy

Combating HIV/AIDS globally, especially among young people is of economic and public health priority, as such, special focus has been given to it in the Millennium Development Goals. This study was designed to analyze adolescents’ sexual behaviour among secondary school students in Sagamu-Remo, Ogun state, Nigeria. Using purposive selection, Remo Divisional High School (coded R1) and Remo Secondary School (coded R2) selected and 400 students were randomly selected from each school to participate in the study. Data collection was done using structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Mean age, for respondents’ in R1 and R2 groups respectively, were 15.22±1.78 and 15.54±1.46. Although about 80% of the respondents were not yet sexually experienced as at time of survey, however, 29% male and 11% female have had sex. About 14% (male) and 6% (female) did not use condom during last coitus. Most of the sexually active respondents had their first sexual experience at ages 14 (male) and 16 (female). The majority (93%) of the respondents have never been screened for HIV/AIDS despite their awareness of the existence of the virus. Further analysis showed none existence of coercion to sex among the respondents, however, low levels of confidence were reported for performing important sexual risk avoidance tasks particularly in the case of sexual abstinence (58% for R1 group and 63% for R2), ability to convince their partner with respect to condom usage (60% for R1 and 58% for R2) and refusing sexual demands from the opposite sex (47% for R1 and 53% for R2). The need to incorporate of HIV/AIDS education into the school curricular and co-curricular activities in the secondary school education policy is recommended. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Adolescents, Sexual behaviour, Nigeria

Identifying the Relationship between Students Computer Hardware Skills in the Use of Electronic Information Resources in University Libraries in South-West, Nigeria

This study determined relationship between students’ computer hardware skills in the use of electronic information resources in University libraries in South-West, Nigeria. This study adopted correlation research design involving simple and multiple linear methods. The population of this study is 85,526. The sample for the study was 398. Proportionate sampling techniques were used to draw the sample. The findings revealed that there is a moderate positive and significant relationship between the students’ computer hardware skills and their use of EIR in university libraries. Also, there is a moderate positive and significant relationship between the students’ computer software skills and their use of EIR in university libraries in South- West, Nigeria; and there is a high and significant relationship among students’ computer hardware skills, computer software skill and their use of electronic information resources in the university library in South-West, Nigeria. Based on the above findings, the study recommended among others that undergraduate students should enhance their computer hardware skills since it is related with the use of electronic information resources in the universities. Research implications were also offered

High pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction study of the Mn0.94Ti0.06CoGe alloy

High pressure x-ray diffraction studies up to 10.4 GPa were performed on the Mn0.94Ti0.06CoGe alloy using synchrotron radiation with a diamond anvil cell. No structural phase transitions occurred in the entire range of our measurements. Unit cell parameters were determined up to 10.4 GPa and the calculated unit cell volumes were found to be well represented by a third order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state. The bulk modulus determined from the pressure - volume data was found to be, B0 = 231.72 ± 7.79 GPa. This study, employing high resolution synchrotron x-rays has helped clarify the behaviour of the Mn0.94Ti0.06CoGe alloy under high pressure