ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF YAM FLOUR PROCESSING IN SAKI, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the economics of yam flour processing in Saki, Oyo State, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained using questionnaire. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting one hundred and twenty (120) yam processors. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis and multiple regressions. Results revealed that 86.5% of yam flour processors were female, 71.2% were married, and 41.4% had primary education. In addition, mean age, household size and production experience of the processors of yam flour were 40 years, 6 persons and 15 years respectively. The gross margin and net farm income were N146,770.03 and N141,536.79 per processing cycle, while the return on investment was 3.25 for every N1 invested which implies that yam flour processing is profitable. Multiple regression revealed that the coefficient of labour cost, transportation cost, cost of storage and packaging and distance to market were negatively significant at 5%, 1%, 1%, and 1% probability level. Also, year of processing experience and membership of association were positively significant at 1% and 5% probability level respectively. The main constraints facing processors of yam flour in the study area were inadequate storage facilities, lack of infrastructural facilities and problem associated with climate change. It is therefore recommended that policies that would enhance large processing capacity so that at the long-run, output and profit can be maximized.   &nbsp

Qualitative Assessment of Effects of Encroachment on Water Resources of Agba Dam, Ilorin Nigeria

The city of Ilorin in Nigeria has experienced high population growth and rapid urbanization. Agba Dam is one of the major sources of potable water in Ilorin, and currently been threatened by anthropogenic induced encroachment activities, with potential for significant derogatory effects on its quality. Therefore, this paper assesses the qualitative impact of encroachment on the water resources regime of Agba Dam, Ilorin, Nigeria. Field survey was carried out to scope proximal anthropogenic activities and to delineate historical and current extent of the encroachment area of the dam. Representative water samples were collected from locations within the dam catchment, and subsequently analyzed for alkalinity, dissolved carbondioxide, chloride, total iron, copper, sulphate, colour, calcium, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. In addition, historical physical and chemical data of water samples obtained from the dam were also acquired, and analyzed to determine temporal variation in the quality. The results show a reduction of 0.89 km2 or 63% in the historical buffer boundary of the dam. The values of the measured physico-chemical parameters were generally similar to that obtained for the historical values and therefore suggest limited impact of the anthropogenic activities on the water quality. However, slight increases were observed in the measured concentrations of the alkalinity, dissolved carbondioxide, chloride, iron, copper and sulphate, and this indicates possibilities of water quality alteration, with potential consequences for ecosystem and aquatic life if the trend is unabated. Keywords: Anthropogenic, Water quality, Agba dam, Ilorin Nigeri

Short-Term Toxicological Evaluation of AnacardiumOccidentale Oil in Albino Rats

Anacardium occidentale L. nut oil was characterized after which 5% of it was incorporated in the feed formulation for albino rats. Two diets were formulated; one of these diets had 5 % A. occidentale oil (test diet) while the other had 5% of groundnut oil as a representative of conventional edible oil (control diet).  Proximate analysis result indicated that the nut comprises of 5.82 ± 0.16% moisture, 25.54 ± 0.25% protein, 6.28 ± 0.02% crude fibre, 42.52 ± 0.45% fat, 2.90 ± 0.09% ash and 16.97 ± 0.84% carbohydrate.  A. occidentale nut was found to be rich in potassium and magnesium.  Physicochemical analysis of cashew nut oil gave 22.03 ± 0.04 mgKOH/g acid value, 22.03 ± 0.40 g/100g iodine value, 1.96 ± 0.23 mgKOH/g free fatty acid, 97.98 ± 0.99 mgKOH/g saponification value, 2.96 ± 0.59 peroxide value and 1.64 ± 0.02 refractive index.  Fatty acid analysis of A. occidentale nut oil showed that it has high level of unsaturation (77.5754%).  This is evident from the values obtained for oleic acid (61.02%), linoleic acid (15.34%) and linolenic acid (0.13%). There was weight gain by the rats during the feeding period of eight weeks and no mortality was recorded. Haematological and biochemical parameters were investigated for in the test and control rats and the results obtained revealed no adverse effect on the rats’ blood.  The cholesterol level in the test and control rat tissues was not significantly different at p<0.05.  The result of the histopathology of some of  the rat tissues showed no visible lesion.  A. occidentale nut oil might be suitable for edible purposes. Key words:A. occidentale, fatty acid, proximate composition, toxicolog

Review of Researches on Techno-Economic Analysis and Environmental Impact of Hybrid Energy Systems

Hybrid energy systems, which are combinations of two or more renewable and non-renewable energy sources, have been identified as a viable mechanism to address the limitations of a single renewable energy source, utilized for electricity generation. In view of this, several research works have been carried out to determine the optimal mix of different renewable and non-renewable energy resources used for electricity generation. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the optimization approaches proposed and adopted by various authors in the literature for optimal sizing of hybrid energy systems. It is observed that the objective functions - considered by a large percentage of researchers to optimize the sizing of hybrid energy systems - are cost minimization of the generated electricity, system reliability enhancement and environmental pollution reduction. Other factors covered in the literature are equally discussed in this article. Similarly, simulation and optimization software used for the same purpose are covered in the paper. In essence, the main aim of this paper is to provide a scope into the works that have been carried out in the field of hybrid energy systems, used for electricity generation with the view to informing researchers and members of the public alike, on trends in methods applied in optimal sizing of hybrid energy systems. It is believed that the information provided in this paper is very crucial in advancing research in the field

EQUITY RETURN AND CONSUMPTION IN NIGERIA (1999-2014)

This study examined the trend and pattern of equity return and private consumption in Nigeria between 1999 and 2014. The trend analysis of equity return and consumption showed that there was considerable fluctuation in equity return throughout the study period and which was as a result of trading activities in the stock market. The behaviour of asset prices affected equity and that the fluctuation in the market was attributed to a lot of factors like waning confidence of investors and impact of the global financial crises and economic meltdown, liberalisation of the market. The fluctuation of the growth rate of private consumption was also affected by the economic situation and global economic and financial crises in 2008, oil shock and various government policies put in place to encourage savings. Also, an increase in equity return will increase consumption while a decrease in equity return had little effect on consumption and the effects were not significant

Determinants of utilisation of traditional birth attendant services by pregnant women in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Background: This study was designed to assess the determinants of utilization of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) services by pregnant women in different communities in Ogbomoso, Nigeria.Methods: This was a community- based cross-sectional study. Fisher's formula was used to calculate the sample size and a total of 270 eligible pregnant women were enrolled for the study using multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using pretested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and results were presented in frequencies and percentages.Results: Factors found to have a significant influence on the utilization of TBA services in this study include: low educational status (p <0.001), lower socioeconomic status (p <0.001), and compassionate care given by the TBAs (p=0.004). Other factors include service proximity and lower cost of TBA services.Conclusions: The impact of TBAs and their services cannot be overemphasized in the present state of maternal and child health in Nigeria.  Lower educational status among others has been found to be a strong predictor of utilization of TBA services. There is, therefore, the need to improve the educational and socioeconomic status of women in order to allow them to access quality health care services that will safeguard their well-being. Inculcating compassionate care into orthodox healthcare delivery will go a long way to improve patronage and discourage TBA utilization

Assessing the low-cost buildings in Nigeria using Hydraform blocks as walling materials: the journey so far

Man’s growing desire for affordable and comfortable buildings have necessitated the diversification of materials and methods in the built sector. Thus, this paper assessed the hydraform blocks as walling materials to examine its current level of usage in the Nigerian built sector. Information was generated via literature reviews, newspapers, and professional perceptions. The findings revealed that despite the concerted feats of private developers in the use of hydraform blocks as walling materials for the low-cost building construction in Nigeria, efforts by the Federal Government has yielded limited success in this regard. Also, State Governments have not fared better. Therefore, this paper recommended and proffered solutions to bridge this gap

Broadband, mid-infrared emission from Pr3+ doped GeAsGaSe chalcogenide fiber, optically clad

We present a study of mid-infrared photoluminescence in the wavelength range 3.5–5.5lm emitted from Pr3+: GeAsGaSe core/GeAsGaSe cladding chalcogenide fiber. The Pr3+doped fiber optic preform is fabricated using extrusion and is successfully drawn to low optical loss, step-index fiber. Broadband mid-infrared photoluminescence is observed from the fiber, both under 1.55microns or 1.94 microns wavelength excitation. Absorption, and emission, spectra of bulk glass and fiber are presented. Luminescent lifetimesare measured for the fiber and the Judd–Ofelt parameters are calculated. The radiative transition rates calculated from Judd–Ofelt theory are compared with experimental lifetimes. The observed strong broad-band emission suggests that this type of fiber is a good candidate for further development to realize both fiber lasers and amplified spontaneous emission fiber sources in the mid-infrared region

Energy generation from anaerobic co-digestion of food waste, cow dung and piggery dung.

The study investigated bioenergy generation from anaerobic co-digestion of food wastes (FW), cow dung (CD) and piggery dung (PD). The physicochemical parameters of the substrates were determined before and after digestion following standard procedures after mechanical pretreatment. Throughout the study, pH remained slightly alkaline while temperature varied between 26 and 32 °C. The highest cumulative biogas yield of 0.0488 L was recorded from the digestion of FW + CD + PD on the ninth day. After analyses, the highest methane content of 64.6 was obtained from the digestion of FW + PD while the lowest (54.0%) was from the digestion of FW only. Overall, cumulative biogas production for the four digestion regimes followed the order: FW + CD + PD, FW + PD, FW + CD and FW only respectively. Accumulation of VFAs was recorded at a slow rate during the digestions

Reliability of the TekScan MatScan® system for the measurement of plantar forces and pressures during barefoot level walking in healthy adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plantar pressure systems are increasingly being used to evaluate foot function in both research settings and in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of the TekScan MatScan^®system in assessing plantar forces and pressures during barefoot level walking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty participants were assessed for the reliability of measurements taken one week apart for the variables maximum force, peak pressure and average pressure. The following seven regions of the foot were investigated; heel, midfoot, 3^rd-5^thmetatarsophalangeal joint, 2^ndmetatarsophalangeal joint, 1^stmetatarsophalangeal joint, hallux and the lesser toes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Reliability was assessed using both the mean and the median values of three repeated trials. The system displayed moderate to good reliability of mean and median calculations for the three analysed variables across all seven regions, as indicated by intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.44 to 0.95 for the mean and 0.54 to 0.97 for the median, and coefficients of variation ranging from 5 to 20% for the mean and 3 to 23% for the median. Selecting the median value of three repeated trials yielded slightly more reliable results than the mean.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings indicate that the TekScan MatScan^®system demonstrates generally moderate to good reliability.</p