Mengisi Kesenjangan antara Jumlah Hasil Penelitian Mahasiswa dalam Bidang Biologi dan Ketersediaan Media Publikasinya

Berkala ilmiah Scripta Biologica ini dibuat untuk mengisi celah besar kesenjangan antara jumlah hasil penelitian mahasiswa dalam bidang biologi dan ketersediaan media publikasinya. Scripta Biologica tersedia secara online dalam 4 nomer terbitan per volume per tahun, kualitas artikel ilmiahnya tetap dipertahankan dengan kombinasi editorial-review dan peer-review. Scripta Biologica menerapkan lisensi Creative Commons Attribution BY-SA, di bawah lisensi ini hak cipta atas artikel ilmiah yang dipublikasikan tetap ada pada penulis. Penulis memberikan lisensi kepada Scripta Biologica untuk mempublikasikan artikel ilmiahnya dan menyatakan Scripta Biologica sebagai penerbit pertama, sedangkan pembaca dapat menggunakannya secara bebas; mengunduh, mencetak, menggunakan, mengubah, menyebarkan, dan atau menyalin sebagian atau seluruh artikel ilmiah dalam berkala ini, selama identitas penulis, detil sitasi, dan berkala serta penerbit tetap disertakan dan dinyatakan secara jelas. Semoga berkala ilmiah online Scripta Biologica bisa memberikan kontribusi dalam USAha bersama insan akademik untuk meningkatkan akses pada hasil-hasil penelitian, utamanya penelitian mahasiswa dalam bidang biologi, sehingga pengetahuan serta manfaatnya dapat digunakan oleh masyarakat secara lebih luas. Publikasi perdana Scripta Biologica volume 1 nomer 1 ini adalah langkah awal untuk secara berkelanjutan membuat lebih banyak hasil penelitian mahasiswa dalam bidang biologi menjadi terdiseminasi, terdokumentasi, dan tersertifikasi

SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES AND AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT IN NIGERIA: EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION USING HOUSEHOLD SURVEY DATA

Social protection programmes have been recognised and proven to be one of the most effective policies in fighting poverty, hunger and unproductive capacity of rural or poor farmers. Despite the fact that poverty have seen to be declining over the years, the number of people who are still undernourished remains high in Nigeria, and where little effort has been made in improving social interventions. Thus, this study explores the relationship between social protection policies and agricultural output in Nigeria using data from Living Standard Measurement Study-Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA). The method of analysis engaged is the Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The result from the PSM shows that households who benefit from social protection programmes in form of agricultural credits experienced trice yields more than their counterparts who do not benefit from the programme

Minimizing the Negative Externality from Sachet Water Consumption in Nigeria

Over the years, there has been a consistent increase in the production and use of plastic and sachet packaged products in Nigeria which results in a proportional increase in plastic and Nylon waste pollution in the environment. An earlier survey show that the introduction of sachet water in the country some years ago worsened the situation as it contributes to more than 60% of the sachet pollution. This study therefore tried to find out an efficient and sustainable means of collecting the used sachet water bags to minimize its negative external impact on the environment. It was carried out using primary data collected through direct interview from a sample of 1500 individual in some selected states in the Country. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Log-log regression model. The results of the analysis show that PPP method can be effective in managing the menace. Majority of the sampled individuals are of the opinion that a 100% PPP levy will be a sufficient motivation for sachet water users to return their used sachet water bags to the appropriate collection sites in return for their levy or for the trash pickers to collect them for an equivalent payment. Keywords: Sachet water, biodegradable, Pollution, Externality, Plastic Polluter Pay (PPP

Public Health Expenditure and Under-five Mortality in Nigeria: An Overview for Policy Intervention

AIM: This study looked at the contribution of the health expenditure by the government on under-five mortality in Nigeria. METHODS: The autoregressive distribution lag technique was employed in this study in examining the long-run effect of public health expenditure on under-five mortality in Nigeria. Data were sourced from the World Development Indicators for the period 1985–2017. RESULTS: Results from the study showed that though public health expenditure is statistically significant, it showed a positive relationship with the under-five mortality. CONCLUSION: The implication of this result is that 1 unit increase in public health expenditure would improve increase under-five mortality rate by 1.56 units. However, in the Nigerian context, this can be better explained by the lack of proper health-fund coordination and other factors such as maternal education. Therefore, the study concluded by recommending that proper health-fund coordination should be put in place to ensure that budget allocated to the health sector is being spent properly. &nbsp

Pattern transfer of sub-micrometre-scaled structures into solid copper by laser embossing

Laser embossing allows the micron and submicron patterning of metal substrates that is of great interest in a wide range of applications. This replication process enables low-cost patterning of metallic materials by non-thermal, high-speed forming which is driven by laser-induced shock waves. In this study the surface topography characteristics as well as the material structure at laser embossing of sub-micrometre gratings into solid copper is presented. The topography of the laser-embossed copper pattern is analysed with atomic force microscopy (AFM) in comparison to the master surface. The height of the embossed structures and the replicated pattern fidelity increases up to a laser fluence of F ∼ 10 J/cm2. For higher laser fluences the height of the embossed structures saturates at 75% of the master pattern height and the shape is adequate to the master. Structural modifications in the copper mono crystals after the laser embossing process were investigated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Almost no modifications were detected. The residual stress after laser embossing of 32 MPa (F = 30 J/cm2) has only a limited influence on the surface pattern formation

Food Security and Technology Nexus in Nigeria: An ARDL Approach

In this paper, we examined the level of technology, (quite low in developing countries, especially Nigeria) and how improved technological know-how can help in achieving food security. The indicators of food security utilized include: prevalence of food inadequacy, value of food production, among others. Regression analysis was engaged in investigating the important role of technology on food security using ARDL (Auto Regressive Distributed Lag). The results, among others, showed that in Nigeria, there is a long-term relationship between the indicators of food security and technology. In the event of distortion, the speed of adjustment from the short-run is rather low but significant. Some policy options to enhance the level of food security are documented in the study

ICT investments, human capital development and institutions in ECOWAS

The study explores the linkage between the investment in information and telecommunication technology (ICT) and human capital development on economic transformation in Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS). It further examines how investment in ICT and human capital development can transform the economies of ECOWAS members. This study engaged the generalised method of moments (GMM) in achieving its objective. The findings, among others, showed that investment in ICT did not have a statistically significant relationship with human development. Factors responsible for the non-significant impact of investment in telecommunications on human development could be attributed to the relatively low investment in telecommunications accompanied with high cost of acquisition of the technology in ECOWAS and harsh policy environment. Thus, policies such as the enforcement of good institutions, stabilisation of the political and economic variables in ECOWAS economies will encourage investment in telecommunications, which will enhance ICT adoption and human development

Rice Production and Processing in Ogun State, Nigeria: Qualitative Insights from Farmers’ Association

This study examined the importance of indigenous institutional arrangements in rice production and processing activities in Ogun State, Nigeria through the use of Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). Analyses from the study showed that agricultural financing constitutes the greatest challenge that affects rice production and processing. Other findings from the discourse revealed that in some rice producing areas where there is the existence of rice farmers’ clusters; there is access to modern rice processing machines such as winnowers, threshers and destoners. The operations of Rice Growers Association of Nigerian-RGAN in Ogun State are coordinated by the executive committee, which constitute the indigenous institutional arrangement. This study recommends that sincere and concerted efforts on the part of the government in implementing the goals of Agricultural Transformation Agenda be made to engender the welfare of rice farmers through the development of the rice value chain. The need for actively involving the rice farmers through the RGAN is also germane. The opportunities identified in the study include: the having ‘pool of land’ RGAN that enables the rice farmers to form clusters and increase production; creating platform through which the rice growers could leverage upon to facilitate access to inputs and technical support; gaining of visibility and market access to enhance returns on their farming endeavours

African Growth and Opportunity Act and trade performance in Nigeria

This study examines the implementation status of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its performance in Nigeria using socio-economic indicators. Also, the study provides recommendations on how Nigeria can harness the opportunities latent in AGOA using statistical inference and in-depth interview with relevant stakeholders. The findings show that despite the privileged economic relations with the United States of America (USA), Nigeria is yet to optimise the benefits derivable from the AGOA initiative. Weak adherence to international products packaging and standards, weak manufacturing base, and inadequate infrastructural provision, among others, have limited Nigeria's possible gains from AGOA. Hence, this study submits that Nigeria can improve its export performance under AGOA, given the considerable untapped potentials in many AGOA-product sectors