Foreign Exchange Rate and Economic Growth Nexus: New Evidence from Nigeria (1981 to 2017)

The paper estimates the impact of foreign exchange rate on economic growth of Nigeria. The study makes used of Autoregressive Distributed Lag model (ARDL) on time series Data, for the period 1981-2017. The data set on real effective exchange rate, inflation rate, money supply, lending interest rate, real GDP and foreign direct investment, oil revenue and trade openness (% of GDP) were tested for stationary using ADF and PP tests and established stationarity at I (1) for five variables and I (0) for two variables. The correlation test result shows that the highest correlation is between money supply and oil revenue while the lowest correlation is between inflation rate and foreign direct investment. The ARDL Co-integration test revealed the existence of long-run relationship among the variables. ARDL test results reveal that real effective exchange rate is negatively and significant in explaining economic growth in Nigeria in the long-run. In the short-run, the lag value of real effective exchange rate is insignificant in explaining the changes in the current rate of economic growth. in the same period, the lag value of money supply is negative and significant in explaining GDP. But in the long run it is positive and significant in explaining economic growth in Nigeria. The rate of inflation both in the short run and long run is negatively and significant in explaining GDP. The Error Correction Term value of 20.7% shows the speed of adjustment toward long-run equilibrium The findings of the study imply that interest rate in Nigeria is inflationary. Meaning that increase in the rate of interest rate will lead to an increase inflation rate. Therefore, the research study concludes that the impact of foreign exchange rate on the economic growth of Nigeria is negative and significant and that the monetary authorities should adopt flexible exchange rate in Nigeria. Keywords: ARDL, foreign exchange rate, Economic growth, monetary authorities. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-18-18 Publication date:September 30th 2019

Hyper-Erlang Battery-Life Energy Scheme in IEEE 802.16e Networks

IEEE 802.16e networks is one of the broadband wireless technologies that support multimedia services while users are in mobility. Although these users use devices that have limited battery capacity, several energy schemes were proposed to improve the battery-life. However, these schemes inappropriately capture the traffic characteristics, which lead to waste of energy and high response delay. In this paper, a Hyper-Erlang Battery-Life Energy Scheme (HBLES) is proposed to enhance energy efficiency and reduce the delay. The scheme analytically modifies idle threshold, initial sleep window and final sleep window based on the remaining battery power and the traffic pattern. It also employs a Hyper-Erlang distribution to determine the real traffic characteristics. Several simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the HBLES scheme and the compared scheme.  The results show that the HBLES scheme out performs the existing scheme in terms of energy consumption and response delay

An Investigative Study on Impact of Frequency Dynamics in Load Modeling

Load modeling plays a significant impact in assessing power system stability margin, control, and protection. Frequency in the power system is desired to be kept constant, but in a real sense, it is not constant as loads continually change with time. In much literature, frequency dynamics are ignored in the formulation of load models for the basic assumption that it does not affect the models.  In this paper, the composite load model was formulated with Voltage-Frequency Dependency (V-FD) on real and reactive powers and applied to estimate the load model. 2- Area network 4- machines Kundur test network was used for testing the developed model.  The model was trained with measurements from a low voltage distribution network supplying the Electrical Engineering department at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Both training and testing data were captured under normal system operation (dynamics). To evaluate the V-FD model performance, Voltage-Dependent (VD) model was examined on the same measured data. The work makes use of the Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN) as a nonlinear estimator. Results obtained indicate that including frequency dynamics in modeling active power reduces the accuracy of the model. While in modeling reactive power the model performance improves. Hence, it can be said that including frequency dynamics in load modeling depends on the intended application of the model

Characterization and frequency of biofilms in adenotonsillitis: a retrospective study from a tertiary hospital in North-Eastern Nigeria

Background: Adenotonsillitis, a common condition characterized by inflammation of the adenoids and tonsils, is caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens. Biofilm formation has been linked to disease chronicity and antibiotic resistance. However, the role of biofilms in adenotonsillitis remains poorly understood. This study aims to explore biofilms in adenotonsillitis biopsies, focusing on their characterization, frequency, and demographic distribution by determining the expression of polysaccharides in the biofilm matrix using Congo red stain, determining the presence and frequency of bacterial as well as fungal biofilms in adenotonsillar tissue, investigating any potential associations with disease severity, and evaluating the age and sex distribution of patients with adenotonsillitis. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded adenotonsillitis biopsies (n=50) collected from the university of Maiduguri teaching hospital. The expression of polysaccharides in the biofilm matrix was assessed using congo red stain. Bacterial and fungal biofilms were visualized using crystal violet and Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) stains, respectively. Data on patient demographics, diagnoses, and biofilm characteristics were analyzed. Results: Adenoidtonsillitis was the most common diagnosis (82%), predominantly affecting children aged 0-9 years (76%). Gram's reaction was positive in 70% of cases, while Congo red staining indicated polysaccharide expression in 60%. GMS staining revealed fungal elements in 18% of cases. Conclusions: This study sheds light on the characterization and frequency of bacterial and fungal biofilms in adenotonsillitis, emphasizing importance of biofilms in disease development and persistence. Understanding biofilm-associated infections can improve diagnostic and treatment strategies for adenotonsillitis in Nigeria and beyond

Serum Interferon Gamma (IFN-ɣ) Levels and Hematological Indices in Patients with HIV-MTB Co-Infection in North-Eastern Nigeria

Introduction: The dual epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) poses significant health challenges, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the immune response and hematological changes in HIV-MTB co-infection is crucial for better management of affected individuals. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of IFN-ɣ and hematological indices in patients with HIV-MTB co-infection in North-Eastern Nigeria, as well as explore any potential relationships between these factors. Methods: A total of 88 participants were enrolled in the study, including 44 antiretroviral therapy-naive patients with HIV-MTB co-infection (study group) and 44 HIV mono-infected individuals as controls. Data on personal biodata and clinical details were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Blood samples were obtained from each participant and analyzed for IFN-ɣ levels using ELISA and hematological indices using an automated hematology analyzer. Statistical analysis, including Mann-Whitney U test, independent samples t-test, and Pearson's correlation analysis, was conducted to compare the study and control groups and assess the relationship between IFN-ɣ levels and hematological parameters. Results: Serum IFN-ɣ was insignificantly increased in the study group compared to the control group (p=0.093). The WBC count was also significantly reduced in the study group compared to the control group (p=0.038). The HGB, HCT, MCV and MCH were significantly reduced in the study group compared to the control group (p=0.001, 0.001, 0.002 and 0.001) respectively. Participants with HIV-TB co-infection have insignificantly increased serum IFN-ɣ levels, low total WBC, lymphocyte and monocyte counts compared to those with HIV mono-infection. In conclusion, participants with HIV-TB co-infection have insignificant increased serum IFN-ɣ levels, low total WBC, and lymphocyte and monocyte counts compared to those with HIV mono-infection. There was no correlation of IFN-ɣ with any of the haematological indices

Impact of Population Growth on Unemployment in Nigeria: Dynamic OLS Approach

This empirical research examined the impact of population growth on unemployment in Nigeria. The study applied annual time series data from 1991 to 2017. The data on population, unemployment, consumer price index, exchange rate and foreign direct investment were tested for unit root using ADF, PP and KPSS unit root tests. The results from the ADF and PP tests revealed that all the variables were stationary at first difference except CPI that is stationary at level. While the KPSS units root test result shows that all the variables are stationary at level. The variables were co-integrated as shown by the Johansen Juselius test for co-integration. The Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) were used in the process of estimating the model. The main results disclosed that population and exchange rate impacted positively with unemployment. Whereas consumer price index, GDP per capita and foreign direct investment impacted negatively thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the long-run. Government should focus more on attracting foreign direct investment, increasing GDP per capita and the desired rate of consumer price index in order to control the rate of unemployment in the country. Keywords: Population Growth, Unemployment, Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares, Co-integration test, GDP per capita, Consumer Price Index, Foreign Direct Investment. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-22-09 Publication date: November 30th 2019

ACCOUNTING INFORMATION AND LENDING DECISION: DOES SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE MATTER?

Lending decisions of banks is a function of accounting information of borrowing firms, however, in contemporary times the quality of their accounting information is not encouraging to be used as a yardstick in taking lending decision. Against this backdrop, we investigated the impact of accounting information on commercial banks’ decision to Manufacturing firms in Nigeria. A sample of thirteen industrial listed firms was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to summarize the data and to draw inference on the population studied. We employed the Ordinary Least Squares in testing the hypotheses stated. Findings revealed that monetary value of collateral positively affects lending decisions of banks, profit level of borrowing form negatively influence the lending decision of banks, while corporate sustainability disclosure positively but insignificantly impact on banks’ lending decisions. The study concluded that accounting information affect banks’ lending decisions, also although corporate sustainability insignificantly influence bank lending decision, it does not matter

Interest Rate and Inflation Nexus: ARDL Bound Test Approach

The paperestimates the impact of interest rate on inflation in Nigeria. The study makes used of Autoregressive Distributed Lag model (ARDL) on time series Data, for the period 1970-2016. The data set on inflation, money supply, interest rate, GDP per capita and exchange rate were tested for stationary using ADF, PP and KPS tests and established stationarity at I (1) for all the variables. ARDL testresults reveal that interest rate is inflationary in both the short-run and long-run as it positively and significantly influencing inflation in the two periods which is in conformity with the arguments of the fiscal policy supporters but contradict the arguments of the monetary policy supporters. The findings of the study imply that interest rate in Nigeria is inflationary. Meaning that increase in the rate of interest rate will lead to an increase inflation rate. Therefore, the research study conclude that interest rates should be adjusted with caution, and also implies that fiscal policy measure will be very effective in converting inflation in the country. Keywords:ARDL Bound Test, Interest Rate, Inflation, Exchange Rate, Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-20-07 Publication date:October 31st 201