Cooperation and optimism in a social dilemma

We examine the influence of optimism about local and foreign people on social cooperation using a public goods game. Firstly, we find that optimism fuels social cooperation, and secondly, that this positive effect holds when optimism is focused either jointly or individually

DETERMINANTS OF SUSTAINABLE INCOME GENERATION AMONG FISH PROCESSORS IN ABEOKUTA METROPOLIS, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

This study was carried out to assess determinants of sustainable income generation among fish processors in Abeokuta Metropolis, Ogun State, Nigeria. Eighty fish processors were randomly selected from five communities. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that majority (71.3%) used traditional kiln for processing their fish while 23.7% fried fish in hot vegetable oil. Respondents sourced credit from personal savings (48.8%), cooperatives (27.5%), and friends and family (17.5%) for fish processing activities. Respondents generated an average monthly income (gross profit) of ₦28,000.00 from roasted fish, ₦14,000.00 from dried fish, and ₦20,800.00 from fried fish. However, inadequate processing equipment (95.0%) affected fish processing in the study area. Results of regression showed that personal characteristics of the respondents, processing methods and constraints have influence on income generated at p < 0.05 level of significance. The study therefore recommends that fish processors should adopt modern method of fish processing while subsidized equipment should be made available by the government to the fish processors in the study area. &nbsp

Assessment of Information Needs of Cassava Processors on Food Safety Practices in Ogun and Oyo States, Nigeria

Cassava is a major staple crop that can be processed into diverse products for human consumption in Nigeria. However, improper practices and lack of knowledge of food safety practices by food processors are contributing factors for the spread of food borne outbreaks. Everyone in the food and agro-processing sector therefore needs information on food safety for preventing food borne diseases and death. Hence, this study was carried out to assess information needs of cassava processors on food safety practices in Ogun and Oyo States, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used in the selection of 360 respondents for this study. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze the data collected. Results of this study showed that the mean age of the respondents was 38.4 years, majority (79.7%) of the respondents was married, 41.9% had primary education; 35.8% of the respondents have spent more than 11 years in cassava processing. Ohori (62.3%) and Arubieru (37.7%) are the most processed varieties of cassava by the respondents; they processed 50 – 100kg/day using traditional equipment. Furthermore, many of the respondents did not have the knowledge that protective clothes such as apron, chef and cap should be worn during cassava processing (64.2%) and that blowing of nose and splitting during cassava processing cannot affect safety of food (67.5%). Meanwhile, most of the respondents need information on washing hands with soap and water before and after cassava processing (90.8%), and disposal of waste away from processing plant from time to time. Correlation results showed that there was a significant relationship between sources of information and food safety practices (r = 0.79, p = 0.01) at p < 0.05 level of significance. Keywords: information needs, cassava processors, food safety practices

Design and implementation of a prototype active infrared sensor controlled automatic sliding door for mitigation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The door is an essential part of any structure that provides access and security of lives and properties. The manual operation of a door could be cumbersome and laborious when the traffic volume is high. Also, it has been observed that doors could serve as a medium of spreading the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Therefore, a prototype automatic sliding door that plays a crucial role in curbing the spread of this infectious diseases has been designed and implemented in this paper. The design of the prototype sliding door is in two parts namely; the structural part and the automation part. The structural design of the door was achieved using the Microsoft Visio 2016 while the design of the automation system was achieved using express printed circuit board. The implementation of the structural part was achieved using 1 inch particle board while the implementation of the automation system was based on the components like the active infrared sensor, resistors (10 kΩ), capacitor (1000 µF), transistors (TIP41 Q8, BC548 Q7), LED indicators, press button switch, pulley system, drive belt, stepper motor (IP65), and ATMEGA 8 microcontroller. The result of the tests carried out on the door showed that the prototype automatic sliding door was characterized by average opening time, closing time, delay time, and optimal sensing range of 3.10 s, 3.05 s, 5.72 s, and 23.5 cm, respectively. It can therefore be concluded from this work that the prototype automatic sliding door is effective in overriding the manual operation of the door

Information needs and constraints of access to educational information in the Fort Beaufort Education District

Types of educational information needed by learners, their level of access and librarians’ supportive roles in learning are pertinent to the attainment of quality education. This study seeks to identify the types of educational information needed by high school learners and the barriers of access. The study is underpinned by the jurisprudential theory of freedom of speech augmented by the theory of access to establish the reality of access. The study adopted a mixed methods approach to obtain data from 331 grade 12 learners, 29 teachers and 3 librarians. The findings reveal that information on requirements for admission into university, subjects taught at school, and career guidance were the most needed by learners. Access challenges include inadequate information resources and the absence of and/or non-functional school libraries. Recommendations include the adequate provision of educational information, information literacy education, employment of qualified librarians by education authorities as well as provision of functional school libraries and information technology tools. The study has shown a need to further examine, in a more rigorous way, the coping strategies of teachers and learners in information-poor communities.Keywords: educational information; high school learners; information access; information literacy education; information needs; information resources; information technology tools; school librarie

Postharvest Losses of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) in the Open Markets in Ibadan Metropolis

Postharvest losses of tomato pose serious threat on the economic viability of actors in the tomato production chain in Nigeria. Therefore, postharvest losses of tomato among marketers in Ibadan Metropolis of Oyo State Nigeria were investigated by the researchers. One hundred and twenty tomato marketers were chosen from the five food markets in Ibadan metropolis through a simple random sampling technique. The study adopted linear regression and descriptive statistics to analyze data. The outcomes of the investigation show that females were 92.5% and 88.3% were married. Capital is primarily raised through cooperative societies (57.5%). Postharvest losses of tomato accounted for 18.9% of purchase which represents ₦124,800/day. The major causes of PHLs are poor packaging (100%) and poor storage (100%) by the tomato marketers. Meanwhile, all the respondents (100%) adopted sorting to reduce PHLs of tomato. The regression analysis showed that education has a significant effect to reduce PHLs of tomato. The study concluded that huge postharvest and monetary losses of tomato are experienced by the tomato marketers. The study recommends provision of quality postharvest handling education to tomato marketers as a way of reducing PHLs of tomato in Ibadan

ENGINEERING AND GEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF ROCKS FOR CONCRETE PRODUCTION

Engineering and geological properties of rocks from eight different quarries in Ibadan were evaluated to determine their suitability for concrete production. Samples from each quarry sites were subjected to grading, relative density, water absorption, bulk density, amount of materials finer than 75μm, flakiness and elongation Index, Aggregate Impact Value (AIV), Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV), Aggregate Abrasion Value (AAV), 10% fines value and petrographical analysis adopting BS testing methods. The relationship between engineering properties with one another and the petrographical characteristics were described by Pearson correlation coefficient and bar charts. The results of engineering analysis revealed that rocks from all the quarries are generally sound and good because of their possession of necessary characteristics for use in concrete production when compared with British (BS), Indian (IS) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Petrographical analyses revealed that samples which have performed better in all the engineering tests possess higher content of quartz mineral and finer texture. Statistically significant correlations were found among the tests performed

Efecto de las características socioeconómicas de los agricultores de invernaderos en la producción de verduras en el estado de Ogun, Nigeria

In Nigeria, vegetable production is adversely affected by climate change, pest and diseases attack and unfavourably environmental condition which have made resourceful farmers and government to embark on vegetable production under greenhouse technology. Hence, this study was conducted to assess socio-economic importance of greenhouse technology for sustainable vegetable production in Ogun State, Nigeria. The specific objective is to identify major limitations to the practice of greenhouse vegetable in the study area. One hundred and twenty (120) vegetable farmers were purposively selected for this study. Data were collected using well-structured interview guide and analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The results showed that the respondents were 32 – 40 years of age; predominantly male (90.8%), and had formal education (28.3%). Socio-economic importance of greenhouse technology includes increased yield (94.3%), available supplies all the year round (85.7%), and higher income generation (75.7%). Paradoxically, greenhouse vegetable production has not been widely spread due to difficult to establish it by individuals and high cost of construction (98.3%). So also, chi-square results showed that significant relationship existed between the major limitations and socio-economic importance of greenhouse technology at p < 0.05 level of significance. This study recommends that cost of raw materials for constructing greenhouse should be subsidized by the Federal Government of Nigeria while wealthy individuals, farmers’ groups and cooperative societies should invest in greenhouse technology for large scale vegetable farmingEn Nigeria, la producción de hortalizas se ve afectada negativamente por el cambio climático, el ataque de plagas y enfermedades y las condiciones ambientales desfavorables que han hecho que los agricultores y el gobierno ingeniosos se embarquen en la producción de hortalizas con tecnología de invernadero. Por lo tanto, este estudio se realizó para evaluar la importancia socioeconómica de la tecnología de efecto invernadero para la producción sostenible de hortalizas en el estado de Ogun, Nigeria. El objetivo específico es identificar las principales limitaciones a la práctica de hortalizas de invernadero en el área de estudio. Ciento veinte (120) productores de hortalizas fueron seleccionados deliberadamente para este estudio. Los datos se recopilaron mediante una guía de entrevista bien estructurada y se analizaron con estadísticas descriptivas y análisis de chi-cuadrado. Los resultados mostraron que los encuestados tenían entre 32 y 40 años de edad; predominantemente masculino (90.8%), y tenía educación formal (28.3%). La importancia socioeconómica de la tecnología de efecto invernadero incluye un mayor rendimiento (94.3%), suministros disponibles durante todo el año (85.7%), y mayor generación de ingresos (75.7%). Paradójicamente, la producción de hortalizas de invernadero no se ha extendido ampliamente debido a la dificultad de establecerla por parte de los individuos y el alto costo de construcción (98.3%). Así también, los resultados de chi-cuadrado mostraron que existía una relación significativa entre las principales limitaciones y la importancia socioeconómica de la tecnología de invernadero con un nivel de significancia p<0.05. Este estudio recomienda que el gobierno federal de Nigeria subsidie el costo de las materias primas para la construcción del invernadero, mientras que las personas adineradas, los grupos de agricultores y las sociedades cooperativas deberían invertir en tecnología de invernadero para el cultivo de hortalizas a gran escal

Family Planning Decisions, Perceptions and Gender Dynamics among Couples in Mwanza, Tanzania: A Qualitative Study.

Contraceptive use is low in developing countries which are still largely driven by male dominated culture and patriarchal values. This study explored family planning (FP) decisions, perceptions and gender dynamics among couples in Mwanza region of Tanzania. Twelve focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews were used to collect information from married or cohabiting males and females aged 18-49. The participants were purposively selected. Qualitative methods were used to explore family planning decisions, perceptions and gender dynamics among couples. A guide with questions related to family planning perceptions, decisions and gender dynamics was used. The discussions and interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually and subjected to content analysis. Four themes emerged during the study. First, "risks and costs" which refer to the side effects of FP methods and the treatment of side -effects as well as the costs inherit in being labeled as an unfaithful spouse. Second, "male involvement" as men showed little interest in participating in family planning issues. However, the same men were mentioned as key decision-makers even on the number of children a couple should have and the child spacing of these children. Third, "gender relations and communication" as participants indicated that few women participated in decision-making on family planning and the number of children to have. Fourth, "urban-rural differences", life in rural favoring having more children than urban areas therefore, the value of children depended on the place of residence. Family Planning programs should adapt the promotion of communication as well as joint decision-making on FP among couples as a strategy aimed at enhancing FP use