Effect of Gender on Students’ Academic Performance in Computer Studies in Secondary Schools in New Bussa, Borgu Local Government of Niger State

This research studied the relationship between student’s gender and academic performance in computer science in New Bussa, Borgu local government of Niger state. Questionnaire which consist of 30 multiple-choice items drawn from Senior School Certificate Examination past questions as set by the West Africa Examination Council in 2014 multiple choice past question was used as the research instrument consist. The questionnaire was administered to 275 students from both private and public schools in the study area. The students’ responses were marked and scored, afterward analysed using independent t-test. The results of the study showed that even though the male students had slightly better performance compared to the female students, it was not significant. This better performance was found to be pronounced in the private school which was shown to possess the best male brains found in the study area. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations were made. Parents are encouraged to provide the right education they can afford for their children irrespective of gender. Also, there should be a deliberate Federal Government policy to encourage absorbance of female students into further study in computer science. Furthermore, it was recommended that stake holders in the education industry should make use of these findings and try to research into ways of making gender sensitive policies. Keywords: Effect, Gender, Academic, Performance, Computer Studies, Secondary School

Growth and Yield Response of Upland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) to Different Nitrogen Fertilization and Weeding Levels

Weed interference and poor soil fertility are important factors resulting in the poor yield of rice in Nigeria. A 2-year field study was therefore conducted to evaluate the effect of different nitrogen fertilization and weeding levels on growth and yield of upland rice in a forest savannah transition zone of Nigeria. A split-plot design in three replicates was used with three nitrogen fertilization levels (0, 60 and 90 kg ha-1) as the main plot treatments, and four weeding levels (zero weeding, one hoe-weeding, two hoe-weedings and weed-free check) as the subplot treatments. Nitrogen fertilization levels had no significant effect on weed density, biomass and weed control efficacy. However, rice vigour, plant height, number of tillers and leaf area index increased significantly with increasing nitrogen fertilization levels up to 60 kg ha-1 and grain yield up to 90 kg ha-1. Two hoe-weedings increased weed control efficacy similar to the weed-free check better than one hoe-weeding. Rice vigour, tiller number, leaf area index and grain yield increased as number of hoe-weeding also increased. Weed-free check that included four hoe-weedings was not better than two hoe-weedings carried out 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS). The result of this study showed that nitrogen fertilization application at 90 kg ha-1 and two hoe-weedings at 3 and 6 WAS would improve weed control and productivity of upland rice

Effects of Covid-19 Outbreaks on Demand for Electronic News in New Bussa, Nigeria

The work investigates how the Covid-19 outbreak affects the demand for electronic news before and during the lockdown in New Bussa, a major town in Niger State, one of Nigeria’s 36 political subdivisions. It also explores the adoption of social media channels in disseminating news related to the pandemic. The questionnaire on Google form was distributed to the residents of the town to which 150 of them responded. The results,among others, show that even though there was a higher demand for news in the thick of the pandemic, it was not significant. This outcome does not align with the previous findings that found demand significantly risen in a similar situation. What is more, this finding brings a rethinking of the classical conditioning theory to the table

Growth and Yield Response of Upland Rice (Oryza sativa L.) to Different Nitrogen Fertilization and Weeding Levels

Weed interference and poor soil fertility are important factors resulting in the poor yield of rice in Nigeria. A 2-year field study was therefore conducted to evaluate the effect of different nitrogen fertilization and weeding levels on growth and yield of upland rice in a forest savannah transition zone of Nigeria. A split-plot design in three replicates was used with three nitrogen fertilization levels (0, 60 and 90 kg ha-1) as the main plot treatments, and four weeding levels (zero weeding, one hoe-weeding, two hoe-weedings and weed-free check) as the subplot treatments. Nitrogen fertilization levels had no significant effect on weed density, biomass and weed control efficacy. However, rice vigour, plant height, number of tillers and leaf area index increased significantly with increasing nitrogen fertilization levels up to 60 kg ha-1 and grain yield up to 90 kg ha-1. Two hoe-weedings increased weed control efficacy similar to the weed-free check better than one hoe-weeding. Rice vigour, tiller number, leaf area index and grain yield increased as number of hoe-weeding also increased. Weed-free check that included four hoe-weedings was not better than two hoe-weedings carried out 3 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS). The result of this study showed that nitrogen fertilization application at 90 kg ha-1 and two hoe-weedings at 3 and 6 WAS would improve weed control and productivity of upland rice

Website and Television Broadcasting of National Parks: A Perceived Possibility of Promoting and Marketing National Parks in Nigeria

The current coronavirus outbreak has made several organizations such as schools churches real estate consultants tourist attraction centres begin to exploit the benefits of information technology to ensure the continuous running of their operation through website and television broadcast The need for National Park in the developing countries to showcase their flora fauna and environment through website and television broadcast intervention WTBI are not farfetched It is believed WTBI could market and promote national parks in developing countries to potential tourists because through website and television broadcast intervention WTBI the developed countries have achieved high operational efficiency and income to increase National Park Visitation Intention NPVI of tourists As such they have generated so much income through tourism to their national parks The study utilized online survey to evaluate the adequacy of current WTB intervention puts in place by management of national parks in Nigeria and the consequent effects of improving on current WTBI to market and promote national parks in Nigeri

Radionuclide Concentration and Lifetime Cancer Risk Due to Gamma Radioactivity from Quarry Stone Aggregates in Jos and Its Environs, North Central Nigeria

Naturally occurring radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K present in crushed stone aggregates from seven (7) quarries in Jos and its environs were measured using Gamma Ray Spectrometer. This is mainly for the purpose of evaluating the radiation health hazard indices and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) that may arise due to the use of such crushed stones for building construction. Mean concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K from the quarries were found to be 4.0-15.1 ppm, 25.7-51.7 ppm, and 3.9%-4.4%, while their activity concentration range from 49.5-186.5 Bqkg-1for 238U, 104.3-209.9 Bqkg-1 for 232Th, and 1158.1-1471.1 Bqkg-1for 40K respectively. Absorbed dose in air (149.85–264.35 nGy h−1), annual effective dose equivalents for internal and external (0.69-1.22 mSv y−1and 0.23-0.41 mSv y−1), hazard indices (1.00-2.05 indoor, and 0.87-1.53 outdoor), and radium equivalent activity (317.51-573.11 Bqkg-1) were calculated. These values are higher than the world's averages. Total excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) from the quarries was found to be 3.21×10−3 - 5.68 ×10−3 with an average of 4.45x10−3. This is 15.34 times higher than the world average of 0.29x10-3 below which negligible risk of developing cancer has been stated. Crushed stones from quarries in Jos and its environs therefore may have contributed significantly to cancer risks in this area. Keywords: Quarry; Crushed Stones; Uranium; Thorium; Potassium; Activity Concentration; Hazard Indices; Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk; Jos Environs.

Globalisation, adjustment and the structural transformation of African economies?: the role of international financial institutions

Under the auspices of the World Bank and IMF, for almost two decades, sub-Saharan African countries have implemented structural adjustment, an orthodox package of economic reform measures. During this period there has been an unprecedented proliferation of technology investment and trade in the world economy. However sub-Saharan Africa has performed poorly under adjustment and has been largely marginalized from the international economy. The paper investigates the problems with the theoretical model underlying structural adjustment policies to explain why the model is not conducive to either African development or Africa’s increasing participation in the global economy. An example is used to illustrate the existence of an alternative set of policies that may be better suited for Africa

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Row Spacing Determines Critical Period of Weed Control in Crop: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) as a Case Study

To further understand the importance of row spacing as an agronomic practice, a study was conducted to evaluate how levels of row spacing determines the critical period of weed control (CPWC) in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). The experiment was laid out as a split-plot design with eight periods of weed interference as the main plots and three row spacing (60, 75 90 cm) as the subplots with three replications of each treatment combination. Period of weed interference consisted of weed removal for 14, 35, 54, and 77 days after emergence (DAE), and weed infestation for 14, 35, 54, and 77 DAE. Results indicated that the mean yield of cowpea was higher at narrow spacing (60 cm) than at wide spacing (90 cm) under season-long weed infestation plots but no difference in yield was found among the row spacing in the season-long weed removal plots. There was no difference in the beginning of the CPWC among the row spacing. However, 90 cm row spacing requires longer period of weed removal to avoid unacceptable yield loss when compared to 60 cm row spacing. The end of the CPWC coincides with the period of canopy closure by the crop. This finding suggests that it took the crop longer time to close canopy at wide row spacing (90 cm) compare to reduced row spacing. The differences in the duration of weed control intervention in crop row spacing suggest the importance of integrating decisions regarding row spacing and period of weed control in weed management strategies