Motivation factors affecting employees job performance in selected agricultural oil palm industries in Edo State, Nigeria

Motivation is the combination of a person's desire and energy directed at achieving a goal. It is the cause of action. Motivation can be intrinsic, such as satisfaction and feelings of achievement; or extrinsic, such as rewards,punishment, and goal obtainment. The study assessed the motivating factors affecting the job performance of two oil palm companies’ employees, in Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of this study were to; ascertain the socioeconomic characteristics of employees, the challenges faced by both employees and management of selectedcompanies; and determine motivating factors affecting employees’ job performance in selected oil palm companies in Edo state.Using proportional and simple random sampling techniques, 83  respondents were selected for the study. The findings of the study revealed that majority (72%) of Presco employees were males compared to (27%) of Okomu. A large proportion of the respondents (59%) and (67.6%) were married for Presco and Okomu respectively. Majority(82%) and (100%) of Presco and Okomu employees were between ages 31 and 50 years respectively. The most important motivating factors for respondents’ job performance are annual leave granted ( x = 4.21), leave bonus given ( x = 4.10), and free medical care ( x = 3.79). The major challenges to the employees are lack of appreciation for hard work ( x = 4.8, 9), delayed promotion ( x = 4.86), random sack of workers ( x = 4.40) and absence of staff training ( x = 4.07). There was a significant relationship between income of respondents and challenges they face (r = -0.266: P<0.05). The study suggested that employers should compensate hard work and provide avenue for job security. In addition, management should create a certain level of informal relationship that would enable them share a cordial relationship with their employees. This would give management an insight into the appropriate and specific factors thatmotivate workers

The empirical analysis of cigarette tax avoidance and illicit trade in Vietnam, 1998-2010.

Illicit trade carries the potential to magnify existing tobacco-related health care costs through increased availability of untaxed and inexpensive cigarettes. What is known with respect to the magnitude of illicit trade for Vietnam is produced primarily by the industry, and methodologies are typically opaque. Independent assessment of the illicit cigarette trade in Vietnam is vital to tobacco control policy. This paper measures the magnitude of illicit cigarette trade for Vietnam between 1998 and 2010 using two methods, discrepancies between legitimate domestic cigarette sales and domestic tobacco consumption estimated from surveys, and trade discrepancies as recorded by Vietnam and trade partners. The results indicate that Vietnam likely experienced net smuggling in during the period studied. With the inclusion of adjustments for survey respondent under-reporting, inward illicit trade likely occurred in three of the four years for which surveys were available. Discrepancies in trade records indicate that the value of smuggled cigarettes into Vietnam ranges from $100 million to$300 million between 2000 and 2010 and that these cigarettes primarily originate in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, and Australia. Notable differences in trends over time exist between the two methods, but by comparison, the industry estimates consistently place the magnitude of illicit trade at the upper bounds of what this study shows. The unavailability of annual, survey-based estimates of consumption may obscure the true, annual trend over time. Second, as surveys changed over time, estimates relying on them may be inconsistent with one another. Finally, these two methods measure different components of illicit trade, specifically consumption of illicit cigarettes regardless of origin and smuggling of cigarettes into a particular market. However, absent a gold standard, comparisons of different approaches to illicit trade measurement serve efforts to refine and improve measurement approaches and estimates

Transcriptional regulation of RET by Nkx2-1, Phox2b, Sox10, and Pax3

Background: The rearranged during transfection (RET) gene encodes a single-pass receptor whose proper expression and function are essential for the development of enteric nervous system. Mutations in RET regulatory regions are also associated with Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) (aganglionosis of the colon). We previously showed that 2 polymorphisms in RET promoter are associated with the increased risk of HSCR. These single nucleotide polymorphisms overlap with the NK2 homeobox 1 (Nkx2-1) binding motif interrupting the physical interaction of NKX2-1 with the RET promoter and result in reduced RET transcription. In this study, we further delineated Nkx2-1-mediated RET Transcription. Methods and results: First, we demonstrated that PHOX2B, like SOX10 and NKX2-1, is expressed in the mature enteric ganglions of human gut by immunohistochemistry. Second, subsequent dual-luciferase-reporter studies indicated that Nkx2-1 indeed works coordinately with Phox2b and Sox10, but not Pax3, to mediate RET transcription. In addition, identification of Phox2b responsive region in RET promoter further provides solid evidence of the potential functional interaction between Phox2b and RET. Conclusion: In sum, Phox2b and Sox10 act together with Nkx2.1 to modify RET signaling and this interaction may also contribute to HSCR susceptibility. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.postprin

Clinical guidelines for the management of craniofacial fibrous dysplasia

Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a non-malignant condition caused by post-zygotic, activating mutations of the GNAS gene that results in inhibition of the differentiation and proliferation of bone-forming stromal cells and leads to the replacement of normal bone and marrow by fibrous tissue and woven bone. The phenotype is variable and may be isolated to a single skeletal site or multiple sites and sometimes is associated with extraskeletal manifestations in the skin and/or endocrine organs (McCune-Albright syndrome). The clinical behavior and progression of FD may also vary, thereby making the management of this condition difficult with few established clinical guidelines. This paper provides a clinically-focused comprehensive description of craniofacial FD, its natural progression, the components of the diagnostic evaluation and the multi-disciplinary management, and considerations for future research

Patient complexity and genotype-phenotype correlations in biliary atresia: a cross-sectional analysis

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Antisickling properties, thermal and photochemical degradations of anthocyanin extracts from Annona senegalensis (Annonaceae)

Anthocyanin crude extracts and fractions of Annona senegalensis leaves were screened for their antisickling properties using a validated in vitro bioassay model of sickle cell anaemia. Preparative thin layer chromatography of acetylated anthocyanin crude extracts carried out with chloroform as solvent provided two active fractions named Ac1 and Ac2. Fraction Ac2 was  quantitatively isolated and submitted to physicochemical investigations. Thermo-degradation kinetics of the above fraction Ac2 at 80 °C and 100 °C revealed first order reaction with the rate constants k (s-1) of 8.10 10-4 and 11.0 10-4, respectively. Anthocyanin crude extracts and the separated fractions showed in vitro antisickling activity. This activity justifies the use of this plant by congolese traditional healers; thus anthocyanins could be the major active principles. However, these natural pigments are unstable towards UV-vis light irradiations and heat. The conservation of this plant should then be performed in the absence of heat and/or light.Keywords: Sickle cell anemia, Annona senegalensis, anthocyanins, light irradiation, thermodegradatio

Reduced RET expression in gut tissue of individuals carrying risk alleles of Hirschsprung's disease

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RET) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with the Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR). We investigated whether the amount of RET expressed in the ganglionic gut of human was dependent on the genotype of three regulatory SNPs (-5G>A rs10900296 and -1A>C rs10900297 in the promoter, and C>T rs2435357 in intron 1). We examined the effects of three regulatory SNPs on the RET gene expression in 67 human ganglionic gut tissues using quantitative real-time PCR. Also, 315 Chinese HSCR patients and 325 ethnically matched controls were genotyped for the three SNPs by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. The expression of RET mRNA in human gut tissue did indeed correlate with the genotypes of the individuals. The lowest RET expression was found for those individuals homozygous for the three risk alleles (A-C-T/A-C-T), and the highest for those homozygous for the 'wild-type' counterpart (G-A-C/G-A-C), with expression values ranging from 218.32±125.69 (mean ± SE) in tissues from individuals carrying G-A-C/G-A-C to 31.42±8.42 for individuals carrying A-C-T/A-C-T (P 5 0.018). As expected, alleles -5A, -1C and intron 1 T were associated with HSCR (P 5 5.94 × 10-31, 3.12 3 10-24 and 5.94 × 10-37, respectively) as was the haplotype encompassing the three associated alleles (A-C-T) when compared with the wild-type counterpart G-A-C (χ2 5 155.29, P « 0.0001). To our knowledge, this is the first RET expression genotype-phenotype correlation study conducted on human subjects to indicate common genetic variants in the regulatory region of RET may play a role in mediating susceptibility to HSCR, by conferring a significant reduction of the RET expression. © The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]

Management of inputs resources in small-scale catfish farming in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study examined management of pre-stocking, stocking and harvest activities of small-scale catfish farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the needed information and descriptive statistics was use to analyze the collected data. The results show that earthen and concrete pond are the two major ponds utilized by catfish farmers. The cost of pond construction varied with size, location, soil type and the cost of materials; so most farmers rented their ponds. The dimension of earthen pond varies between 53.51m2 and 891.87m2 with a mean of 197.34±2.48m2. The dimension of concrete pond varied between 13.94m2 and 83.61m2, with a mean of 45.89 ± 8.04m2. Many (41.5%) catfish farmers financed their business with their personal savings. Most fish farms are located close to streams for steady supply of water. Most (68.5%) farmers stocked juvenile while 31.5% stocked fingerlings. Farmers fed their fish with respect to their weight, satiation or availability of feed; but majority fed twice per day. Most farmers harvest catfish twice per year. Farmers should therefore know that proper and efficient management of input variables are prerequisite for profitability in catfish production. Keywords: Earthen pond; juvenile; fingerlings; feed; Water; Profitabilit

Role of RET and PHOX2B gene polymorphisms in risk of Hirschsprung's disease in Chinese population [9]

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Genetic study of congenital bile-duct dilatation identifies de novo and inherited variants in functionally related genes

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