Determinants of trade flow of some selected nontraditional agricultural export commodities in Nigeria

This study analysed the determinants of trade flow of some selected non-traditional agricultural export commodities in Nigeria, for the period 2007  to 2017. The objective of the study was to analyse the factors that determine the export of these commodities. The study used trade data of thirty-  six importing countries of these commodities around the world. The secondary data used was sourced from various institutions’ databases. A  balanced panel data from 36 countries for the years 2007-2017 were used with one dependent variable and ten explanatory variables (a total of  n=396, N=36, and T=11); all variables were expressed in natural logarithm. The gravity estimation model was used in data analysis. The Hausman  test was used in model selection and the test rejected the null hypothesis (random effects were efficient). Therefore, the fixed effects model was  used in the gravity model results’ interpretation. The gravity model results indicate that Nigeria’s export of non-traditional commodities (classified as  HS12 in the United Nations International Trade Statistics) follows the basic gravity model apriori expectations, implying that bilateral trade flows  will increase in proportion to the trading partner’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and decrease in proportion to the distance involved.The level of  openness of Nigeria’s economy and that of the importing countries were major determinants of trade flow of Nigeria’s HS12 commodity exports.  This variable carried the expected positive sign for both Nigeria and its trading Partners and was also statistically significant at the 5% level.  However, the real exchange rate variable was not a major determinant of HS12 commodity trade. The distance variable was statistically significant  indicating the need for regional trade expansion. The dummy variable of the trading partner being an African country was positive and a significant  factor in the determinants of the HS12 commodities. However, colonial or official language ties were negatively signed and significant, implying that  this was not a major contributor to trade in these commodities. The study recommends that favorable import and export promotion policies and  trade openness to boost growth in the quantity of non-traditional exports should form part of government trade policies; and Nigeria should also  take advantage of the proposed African Free Trade Area considering the gains she stands to make through proximity in distance.&nbsp

Haematological and serum biochemical characteristics of weaner rabbits fed plantain leaf and concentrate

An experiment was undertaken with 30 mixed bred rabbits (6-8 weeks), with initial weight of 0.70 ± 0.02 kg, to assess their haematological and serum biochemical response when fed plantain leaf and concentrate. The plantain leaf was offered at levels of 0g, 25g, 50g, 75g and 100g in treatment 1 (control), 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively, with six rabbits per treatment and for an eight week feeding trial. Control had concentrate alone. The growth performance in terms of final liveweight ranged from 0.98 kg (T2) – 1.50kg (T4). After the feeding trial, blood samples were collected for haematological and serum analysis. The packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cell, mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, monocytes and Eosinophils were similar (P>0.05) amongst the five treatments, except total white blood cell, neutrophils, leukocyte counts and platelet counts which were significantly (p<0.05) different. The alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase activities and creatinine levels of rabbits fed plantain leaf were not significantly different (P>0.05) from those fed the control treatment. This invariably suggests that feeding plantain leaf up to 100g in rabbit diet per day will not illicit any deleterious effect on the blood profile of weaner rabbits. Keywords: Musa paradisiaca leaf, weight, blood indices, electrolyte

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran