Establishing a publishing outfit in Nigeria

The paper examines the steps in establishing a publishing firm in the Nigerian environment. The importance of publishing, determination of the book publishing to undertake, steps to follow in establishing a publishing company, networking with stakeholders in the publishing industry,the legal environment of publishing, challengesand the prospects of publishing in Nigeria were among the vital issues discussed. Library and documentary review formed the methodology of the investigation. The paper concludes that any investor intending to set up a publishing company should have an in-depth understanding of all the intricacies in publishing in order to maximize and enjoy the benefits and profits inherent in the publishing sector. It recommends that intending investors in the publishing sector avails themselves of the opportunities outlined in the section on prospects.Keywords: Publishing, Publishing Industry, Publisher, Nigeri

THE PROSPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY TO ENGENDER ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

The Nigerian government has openly publicized its intentions in commercializing agricultural biotechnology as an aid to realize food security in the nation. With a population estimated to be 200 million, the avoidance of food crises is at the core of the efforts of the federal government. One of the solutions to this problem adopted by major economies is agricultural biotechnology. Notwithstanding this truism, the country has not benefited exponentially from this technology. This paper will therefore investigate the issues hindering ample development of agricultural biotechnology in Nigeria while seeking a potential workable improvement to the trajectory in order to impact economic growth positively. The findings show agricultural biotechnology has the capacity to maneuver the underperforming agricultural sector into a viable one that can drive tremendous growth in Nigeria if a culture of Science and Technology on agric-biotechnology is embarked on, budgetary allocations that can fund research and development in this field is made and close monitoring to ensure compliance and quality control by all stake holders is maintained.  Keywords: Biotechnology, Agriculture, Economic Growth, Nigeria

ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTING STANDARDS IN FINANCIAL REPORTING BY ACCOUNT OFFICERS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA

This study assessed the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs) in financial reporting by account officers in tertiary institutions in South-East, Nigeria. Two purposes and corresponding research questions guided the study and four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Related literature pertinent to the study was reviewed. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 849 account officers working in tertiary institutions. A sample of 272 account officers was used for the study. A structured questionnaire developed by the researchers was used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha Method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. The reliability index obtained was r = 0.82. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and ANOVA. Mean was used to analyze data related to the research questions and standard deviation was used to explain how the responses of the respondents varied. ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used to analyze the data. The results showed that account officers adopted International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs) in presenting separately current and non-current assets and liabilities in its financial statement position, presents liability in order of maturity and stating balances carried over from one accounting period to the next accounting period in tertiary institutions in South East. Majority of the account officers did not adopt IPSAS in the presentation of current assets in order of liquidity, disclosure of amount expected to be recovered for each asset and liability, receivables and payables from exchange transactions in reporting assets and liabilities in tertiary institutions in South-East, Nigeria. The results also showed that there was no significant difference in their adoption of IPSASs in reporting assets and liabilities and cash flow management in tertiary institutions in South-East based on type of institution and years of experience. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended, among others, that there should be manpower development by various tertiary institutions to train highly qualified and professional accountants as well as build and develop accounting information system together with information technology. This will help in reporting all statutory income and other internally generated revenue reported for the accounting period.  Article visualizations

The Need for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Teaching Social Studies in Nigeria Colleges of Education: Issues and Challenges

The world today is technology driven which has brought about development in all spheres of human endeavour. Based on this, there is urgent need to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which can be seen in computers, satellite, global system of mobile communication etc. and its application to the teaching of social studies in Nigeria Colleges of Education. This paper establishes that relying on textbooks and traditional patterns of teaching cannot make for effective teaching and learning of social studies. The paper therefore, highlights the need to use information and  communication technology (ICT) in teaching of social studies in Nigeria Colleges of Education. It also highlighted some of the problems and challenges militating against the use of ICT in teaching and learning of social studies and concluded that government should make provision for ICT in Nigeria Colleges of Education and train teachers in the skills as this will make tertiary institutions of learning remain relevant in the global scheme of things educationally

Music as an aid to story telling in Nollywood: Interrogating hybridization in selected films

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Analgesic and Hepatoprotective Activity of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.).

The methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissimum (L.) leaves was screened for analgesic and hepatoprotective activity in albino rats, respectively. The use of the hot-plate method to study central analgesic activity of the leaves extract in albino rats indicated that the extract possesses the ability to significantly reduce pain threshold and also increase the response latency period to thermal stimuli in albino rats, similar to the reference drug acetylsalicylic acid. After treatment reaction time of albino rats was significantly increased to 10.92 sec with 40 mg kg-1 of leaves extract, whereas acetylsalicylic acid also increased reaction time to 12.53 sec with 25 mL kg-1. A decline in the reaction time beyond 1.61 sec was observed by the reference drug and leaves extract. Albino rats whose livers were damaged with a hepatotoxin-Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) 0.5 mL kg-1 i.p. were used to test for hepatoprotective properties of the plant leaves extract. It reduced significantly (p<0.05) liver enzyme levels for animals treated with CCL4 (0.5 mL kg-1) and the methanolic plant leaf extract (40 mg kg-1) concurrently compared to animals treated with CCL4 only. Many histopathological changes in the liver such as marked dilation of the central vein, blood vessel congestion and inflammatory leucocytic infiltrations which were observed in the CCl4 treated animals were not observed in the CCl4 + plant extract treated animals. No apparent disruptions of the normal liver structure by histological and enzyme activities assessment were observed. The results show that the methanolic leaf extract is a potent analgesic and antihepatotoxic agent

MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON NIGERIAN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS

The study sought to identify the causes of conflicts, the challenges encountered in managing organizational conflicts, and the appropriate strategies adopted by selected public sector organizations in Nigeria in managing organizational conflict. The study has population size of 75 out of which a sample size of 63 was realized using Taro Yamane’s formula at 5% error tolerance and 95% level of confidence. Instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and interview. A total number of 63 copies of the questionnaires were distributed while 55 copies were returned. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The hypotheses were tested employing Pearson chi-square using SPSS. The findings indicate that inadequacy of resources; personality differences and communication problems are the causes of conflict in Nigerian public sector organizations. Secondly, coping with change and effective implementation of strategy are the challenges encountered in managing organizational conflict. Thirdly, collaboration style, accommodation style and avoidance style are the strategies adopted by public sector organizations in managing conflict. The study recommends that managers should develop appropriate strategies such as collective bargaining and negotiation, to resolve and manage conflicts as they arise before escalating to unmanageable level.  Article visualizations

A retrospective study of risk factors for poor outcomes in methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in surgical patients

Abstract Background Since its isolation, Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a major cause of hospital acquired infection (HAI), adverse patient outcome and overall resource utilisation. It is endemic in Scotland and widespread in Western hospitals. MRSA has been the subject of widespread media interest- a manifestation of concerns about sterile surgical techniques and hospital cleanliness. This study aimed to investigate patient outcome of MRSA infections over the last decade at a major orthopaedic trauma centre. The objective was to establish the association of variables, such as patient age and inpatient residence, against patient outcome, in order to quantify significant relationships; facilitating the evaluation of management strategies with an aim to improving patient outcomes and targeting high-risk procedures. Methods This is a retrospective study of the rates and outcomes of MRSA infection in orthopaedic trauma at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Data was collated using SPSS 14.0 for Windows(R). Shapiro-Wilkes testing was performed to investigate the normality of continuous data sets (e.g: age). Data was analysed using both Chi-Squared and Fisher's exact tests (in cases of expected values under 5) Results This study found significant associations between adverse patient outcome (persistent deep infection, osteomyelitis, the necessity for revision surgery, amputation and mortality) and the following patient variables: Length of inpatient stay, immuno-compromise, pre-admission residence in an institutional setting (such as a residential nursing home) and the number of antibiotics used in patient care. Despite 63% of all infections sampled resulting from proximal femoral fractures, no association between patient outcome and site of infection or diagnosis was found. Somewhat surprisingly, the relationship between age and outcome of infection was not proved to be significant, contradicting previous studies suggesting a statistical association. Antibiotic prophylaxis, previously identified as a factor in reducing overall incidence of MRSA infection, was not found to be significantly associated with outcome. Conclusions Early identification of high-risk patients as identified by this study could lead to more judicious use of therapeutic antibiotics and reductions in adverse outcome, as well as socioeconomic cost. These results could assist in more accurate risk stratification based on evidence based evaluation of the significance of the risk factors investigated.</p