Effect of Accessibility on Commercial Property Rental Values Performance in Oja Oba Market, Ilorin Metropolis

The value of a commercial property is mainly determined by its inter-accessibility to other land uses; accessibility is a critical component in determining the costs and rewards of any investment. The study is being conducted to investigate the impact of accessibility on the rental values of retail premises. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which accessibility affects the rental value of retail premises. The following goals were established: to assess the rent in various locations inside the market from the primary major route. The stratified random sample approach was employed to acquire the data to evaluate if there is a variance in rent and the link between rental value and distance. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and linear regression using SPSS. The data indicated that rent varies within the market as distance increases. It was found that as distance increases to the market, the rental prices of store premises fall, and there is a strong positive linear relationship between distance and rental value. The report also advised that the government establish market parking space. The government should also give private shop property investors appropriate loans at cheap interest rates to boost investment in this sector

Analysis of Heavy Metals in Goat and Cow Hides Singed with Scrap Tyre In Tudun Wada Zango Abattoir, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Singeing of goat and cow hides is the major process by which fur on the skin of slaughtered animals is burnt in open fire using materials like firewood and charcoal because it preserves the animal’s hide for consumption. Tyres have been reported to contain heavy metals that could pose health threats to hides consumers. This study was done to determine the concentration of heavy metals in goat and cow hides singed with scrap tyre in Tudun Wada Zango Abattoir, Kaduna. 42 goat and cow hides samples were analysed. Samples were collected before singeing, after singeing and when singed hides were washed. Furthermore, scraped soot from singed hides were collected and determination of heavy metals. Samples were prepared according to the method of Association of Official Analytical Chemists and concentration of Lead, Cadmium, Zinc and Iron were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The concentration of Lead and Cadmium in tyre singed goat and cow hide have exceeded maximum permissible limit (MPL) of European Commission Regulation (ECR) while that of Zinc and Iron were below MPL. Washing reduced the concentration of heavy metals in both hides but levels of Lead and Cadmium were still above MPL. This makes goat and cow hides singed with scrap tyre unsafe for consumption. The scraped soot obtained from the singed hides had high concentrations of lead and Cadmium and can contaminate nearby water bodies and soil. Therefore, proper laws should be enacted to stop butchers from using scrap tyre as source of fuel to singe hides

Management Problems Associated with Multi-Tenanted High-Rise Commercial Buildings in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

It is globally established that, where high-rise buildings are put in to multiple occupations, certain problems arise which eventually affect the building structure, occupants and the surrounding natural environment either directly or indirectly. This paper is aimed at investigating and presenting research findings on the management problems of multi-tenanted high-rise commercial buildings in Kaduna metropolis as compared to the system practised in other countries. Field survey was carried out and eventually structured questionnaire was employed as the data collection instrument. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered to the tenants, managers and owners of the buildings in the study area. Data obtained from the study were analyzed in tabular forms, simple percentage distribution tables and narrative description. Part of the results showed that 74% of the buildings were constructed 30 years ago which turned them old for the existing demands due to lack of upgrading the facilities therein. It was further uncovered that 66% of the facilities in the high-rise buildings such as lifts, generators, water supply were not properly maintained by the managing firms due to lack of planning and also due to lack of enough fund budgeted to take good care of  maintenance activities. It was concluded that, old facilities are responsible for the void and vacant spaces in 44% of the high-rise buildings studied. It was deduced that facilities in the high-rise buildings failed to function regularly due to poor maintenance planning and ignorance of some managers to respond to repairs and maintenance request on time. Finally, part of the recommendations proffered include; property management rules of service should be adhered to, where only competent skilled workers will be employed to take care of different services provided in the multi-tenanted high-rise buildings. These competent hands should be adequately employed for effective management of the buildings.  There should be good planning in respect of assessing and responding to sudden breakdown of services so as to achieve service delivery promptly. Keywords: Commercial Buildings, High-rise Buildings, Management Problems, Multi- tenanted Buildings and Property Management

Africa: cyber-security and its mutual impacts with computerisation, miniaturisation and location-based authentication

YesThe state of insecurity occasioned by fraudulent practices in Africa has been of concern economically, both at home and abroad. In this paper, we propose ways to mitigate this problem, using Nigeria as a case study. Based on surveys in West Africa, the paper examines the security situation in the continent and its mutual impacts with computerisation, miniaturisation and Location-Based Authentication (LBA). It was discovered that computerisation and miniaturisation had negative effects on cyber-security, as these were being exploited by fraudsters, using advance fee fraud; called 419. As a countermeasure, the paper examines the possibility of using LBA and digitisation of the GSM Mobile country codes down to city/area codes along with GSM/GPS authentications. These could also be combined with the use of a web-based Secret Sharing Scheme for services with very high security demands. The challenges of roaming were also examined and considered to be of negligible impact.Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF

Factors associated with acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among University health sciences students in Northwest Nigeria

Students of the health sciences are the future frontliners to fight pandemics. The students’ participation in COVID-19 response varies across countries and are mostly for educational purposes. Understanding the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptability is necessary for a successful vaccination program. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among health sciences students in Northwest Nigeria. The study was an online self-administered cross-sectional study involving a survey among students of health sciences in some selected universities in Northwest Nigeria. The survey collected pertinent data from the students, including socio-demographic characteristics, risk perception for COVID-19, and willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. A total of 440 responses with a median (interquartile range) age of 23 (4.0) years were included in the study. The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was 40.0%. Factors that independently predict acceptance of the vaccine were age of 25 years and above (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.44–5.16; p = 0.002), instructions from heads of institutions (aOR, 11.71; 95% CI, 5.91–23.20; p<0.001), trust in the government (aOR, 20.52; 95% CI, 8.18–51.51; p<0.001) and willingness to pay for the vaccine (aOR, 7.92; 95% CI, 2.63–23.85; p<0.001). The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among students of health sciences was low. Older age, mandate by heads of the institution, trust in the government and readiness to pay for the vaccine were associated with acceptance of the vaccine. Therefore, stakeholders should prioritize strategies that would maximize the vaccination uptake

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

The global retinoblastoma outcome study : a prospective, cluster-based analysis of 4064 patients from 149 countries

DATA SHARING : The study data will become available online once all analyses are complete.BACKGROUND : Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular cancer worldwide. There is some evidence to suggest that major differences exist in treatment outcomes for children with retinoblastoma from different regions, but these differences have not been assessed on a global scale. We aimed to report 3-year outcomes for children with retinoblastoma globally and to investigate factors associated with survival. METHODS : We did a prospective cluster-based analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed between Jan 1, 2017, and Dec 31, 2017, then treated and followed up for 3 years. Patients were recruited from 260 specialised treatment centres worldwide. Data were obtained from participating centres on primary and additional treatments, duration of follow-up, metastasis, eye globe salvage, and survival outcome. We analysed time to death and time to enucleation with Cox regression models. FINDINGS : The cohort included 4064 children from 149 countries. The median age at diagnosis was 23·2 months (IQR 11·0–36·5). Extraocular tumour spread (cT4 of the cTNMH classification) at diagnosis was reported in five (0·8%) of 636 children from high-income countries, 55 (5·4%) of 1027 children from upper-middle-income countries, 342 (19·7%) of 1738 children from lower-middle-income countries, and 196 (42·9%) of 457 children from low-income countries. Enucleation surgery was available for all children and intravenous chemotherapy was available for 4014 (98·8%) of 4064 children. The 3-year survival rate was 99·5% (95% CI 98·8–100·0) for children from high-income countries, 91·2% (89·5–93·0) for children from upper-middle-income countries, 80·3% (78·3–82·3) for children from lower-middle-income countries, and 57·3% (52·1-63·0) for children from low-income countries. On analysis, independent factors for worse survival were residence in low-income countries compared to high-income countries (hazard ratio 16·67; 95% CI 4·76–50·00), cT4 advanced tumour compared to cT1 (8·98; 4·44–18·18), and older age at diagnosis in children up to 3 years (1·38 per year; 1·23–1·56). For children aged 3–7 years, the mortality risk decreased slightly (p=0·0104 for the change in slope). INTERPRETATION : This study, estimated to include approximately half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017, shows profound inequity in survival of children depending on the national income level of their country of residence. In high-income countries, death from retinoblastoma is rare, whereas in low-income countries estimated 3-year survival is just over 50%. Although essential treatments are available in nearly all countries, early diagnosis and treatment in low-income countries are key to improving survival outcomes.The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and the Wellcome Trust.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/homeam2023Paediatrics and Child Healt

Impact of Remittances on Nigerian Financial Sector Development: An ARDL Approach

The paper investigates the impact of remittances on financial sector development in Nigeria using the time series data for the period 1986-2019. The study employed secondary data which was subjected to pre estimation tests to establish the purpose. Results of the unit root indicated the combination of stationarity of the series I(0) and I(1), the F- bound test for cointegration reveals long run relationship both in the upper and lower segment, this warrants the permissibility of adoption of Autoregressive distributed lag model. The coefficient of Error Correction Mechanism is negative and statistically significant, convergence of the model to equilibrium from the short run disturbances is therefore certain for the robustness purpose. The results of the long run ARDL bound test for cointegration showed that personal remittances positively influence domestic credit to private sector Proxy for financial sector development by 339%. Conversely, Domestic credit to private sector is negatively affected by interest rate spread and gross savings in Nigerian financial sector. The study therefore recommends the federal government of Nigeria should ensure provision and implementation of sound economic policies which would virtually attract and trigger remittances to Nigeria. This can be accomplished through discrete monetary policies which would attract investment and encourage remittances

Effects of poultry waste as an additive in biogas production using cow dung

Globally, there is need for the proper utilization of animal waste products (such as cow dung, poultry waste and so on), which can be used as an alternative source of energy. Herein, the effects of poultry waste as an additive in the production of biogas using substrate (cow dung and poultry waste) and pH value were investigated. The substrate (cow dung and poultry waste) was prepared via simple dry method. Different set up (1, 2, 3,4 and 5) were designed using local materials (based on the floating drum plant type of digester). The gas produced through an anaerobic digestion method of the different set ups were recorded daily at a fixed time (14 hr) for the periods of 10 days. Set up 2 produced the highest volume of gas (89 cm3), a ~2, ~1.1, ~1.4 and ~1.6 -folds enhancement compared with set up 1, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. It observed that the gas produced decrease with an increase of the poultry waste, indicating that poultry waste played significant role in boosting the production of the gas. The pH of the digester and temperature were kept within pH optimum range of 6.5-8.0 and mesophilic temperature range 20-40 oC, respectively. Thus, the substrate developed (2:1 ratio) was economical, non-hazardous and environmentally friendly