Application of Stochastic Frontier Analysis in the Estimation of Allocative Efficiency of Part-Time Food Crop Farmers in Kogi State, Nigeria

The part-time farmers like other farmers will typically produce to satisfy household food needs or make profit from selling or both. Either of the two objectives of production requires efficient use of farm resources as efficiency is at the heart of agricultural production. In this paper, stochastic frontier cost model is used to analyze the allocative efficiency of part-time food crop farmers in Idah Local Government Area of Kogi State, North Central Nigeria and also to establish the socio-economic factors that determine allocative efficiency. It is evident from the study that part-time food crop farmers are not fully efficient in their allocation of production resources.  This was confirmed by the presence of allocative inefficiency effects in part-time food crop farming with average allocative efficiency of 97.95 %. The study also revealed that rising age and household size contribute to allocative inefficiency in part-time food crop farming, while level of education and farming experience were found to increase allocative efficiency among the part-time food crop farmers. It is recommended that policies aimed at encouraging relatively younger and educated persons and providing them easy access to improved seeds and fertilizers should be formulated .This will go a long way in enhancing allocative efficiency in part-time food crop farming. Keywords: Part-time farming, stochastic frontier cost model, allocative efficienc

Evaluation of Critical Control Points (CCPS) in the Production of ‘Daddawa’ (African Locust Bean Cake) in Dawakin –Tofa Local Government area, Kano State, Nigeria

Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) was carried out during the production of African locust bean seeds condiment (Daddawa) in a location that specialized in it’s manufacturing namely Kwanar – yandaddawa (Dawakin – Tofa Local Government Area) Kano State, Nigeria. The analyses consisted of determination of the aerobic, anaerobic mesophilic bacterial, staphylococcal and fungal counts. In addition, detection of E. coli 0157: H7, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens on the raw seeds before processing and the processed daddawa were also carried out. The raw seeds, processed seeds, production stages and additives had high total microbial count in the range of 109 - 1011cfu/g, which is above the maximum acceptable limit of 105cfu/g. Bacteria isolated and biochemically characterized were Staphylococcus spp, Clostridium perfringens and E. coli 0157: H7. Mucor and Rhizopus were the fungal genera frequently isolated from most of the samples with Aspergillus fumigatus least isolated. Clostridium botulinum was not isolated at Kwanar yandaddawa. The raw seeds, sand used in dehauling, diluents, pawpaw leaves used as additives as well as final molding, comparing (tabletting) and display for sale to consumers are therefore regarded as a critical control points.Keywords: Aerobes, anaerobes, E. coli 0157: H7, Critical Control Points

Rethinking the Interplay of Feminism and Secularism in a Neo-Secular Age

The need to re-examine established ways of thinking about secularism and its relationship to feminism has arisen in the context of the confluence of a number of developments including: the increasing dominance of the 'clash of civilizations' thesis; the expansion of postmodern critiques of Enlightenment rationality to encompass questions of religion; and sustained critiques of the 'secularization thesis'. Conflicts between the claims of women's equality and the claims of religion are well-documented vis-à-vis all major religions and across all regions. The ongoing moral panic about the presence of Islam in Europe, marked by a preoccupation with policing Muslim women's dress, reminds us of the centrality of women and gender power relations in the interrelation of religion, culture and the state. Added to postmodern and other critiques of the secular-religious binary, most sociological research now contradicts the equation of modernization with secularization. This article focuses on the challenges that these developments pose to politically-oriented feminist thinking and practice. It argues that non-oppressive feminist responses require a new critical engagement with secularism as a normative principle in democratic, multicultural societies. To inform this process, the author maps and links discussions across different fields of feminist scholarship, in the sociology of religion and in political theory. She organizes the main philosophical traditions and fault lines that form the intellectual terrain at the intersection of feminism, religion and politics in two broad groups: feminist critiques of the Enlightenment critique of religion; and feminist scholarship at the critical edges of the Enlightenment tradition. The author argues that notwithstanding the fragmented nature of feminist debates in this area, common ground is emerging across different politically oriented approaches: all emphasize 'democracy' and the values that underpin it as the larger discursive frame in which the principle of secularism can be redefined with emancipatory intent in a neo-secular age.peer-reviewe

A Soundtrack for Reimagining Pakistan? Coke Studio, memory, and the music video

Since 2007, Coke Studio has rapidly become one of the most influential platforms in televisual, digital and musical media, and has assumed a significant role in generating new narratives about Pakistani modernity. The musical pieces in Coke Studio’s videos re-work a range of genres and performing arts, encompassing popular and familiar songs, as well as resuscitating classical poetry and the musical traditions of marginalised communities. This re-working of the creative arts of South Asia represents an innovative approach to sound, language, and form, but also poses larger questions about how cultural memory and national narratives can be reimagined through musical media, and then further reworked by media consumers and digital audiences. This article considers how Coke Studio’s music videos have been both celebrated and criticised, and explores the online conversations that compared new covers to the originals, be they much loved or long forgotten. The ways in which the videos are viewed, shared, and dissected online sheds light on new modes of media consumption and self-reflection. Following specific examples, we examine the larger implications of the hybrid text–video–audio object in the digital age, and how the consumers of Coke Studio actively participate in developing new narratives about South Asian history and Pakistani modernity

Update of complications and functional outcome of the ileo-pouch anal anastomosis: overview of evidence and meta-analysis of 96 observational studies

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive update of the outcome of the ileo-pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA). DATA SOURCES: An extensive search in PubMed, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library was conducted. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All studies published after 2000 reporting on complications or functional outcome after a primary open IPAA procedure for UC or FAP were selected. Study characteristics, functional outcome, and complications were extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: A review with similar methodology conducted 10 years earlier was used to evaluate developments in outcome over time. Pooled estimates were compared using a random-effects logistic meta-analyzing technique. Analyses focusing on the effect of time of study conductance, centralization, and variation in surgical techniques were performed. RESULTS: Fifty-three studies including 14,966 patients were included. Pooled rates of pouch failure and pelvic sepsis were 4.3% (95% CI, 3.5-6.3) and 7.5% (95% CI 6.1-9.1), respectively. Compared to studies published before 2000, a reduction of 2.5% was observed in the pouch failure rate (p = 0.0038). Analysis on the effect of the time of study conductance confirmed a decline in pouch failure. Functional outcome remained stable over time, with a 24-h defecation frequency of 5.9 (95% CI, 5.0-6.9). Technical surgery aspects did not have an important effect on outcome. CONCLUSION: This review provides up to date outcome estimates of the IPAA procedure that can be useful as reference values for practice and research. It is also shows a reduction in pouch failure over time.1 juli 201

Current status of the multinational Arabidopsis community

The multinational Arabidopsis research community is highly collaborative and over the past thirty years these activities have been documented by the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee (MASC). Here, we (a) highlight recent research advances made with the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana; (b) provide summaries from recent reports submitted by MASC subcommittees, projects and resources associated with MASC and from MASC country representatives; and (c) initiate a call for ideas and foci for the “fourth decadal roadmap,” which will advise and coordinate the global activities of the Arabidopsis research community