To what extent can non-price/income instruments influence the demand for energy?

The demand for energy is not simply a function of price and income, but can be shown also to be a function also of the underlying energy demand trend (UEDT). The UEDT captures behavioural responses to non-fiscal instruments, including technological change, but also encapsulating attitudinal responses/changes in demand that might result for instance from increased public awareness of how environmentally damaging energy use can be, hence reflecting underlying consumer preferences. This study estimates a longitudinal econometric model for the aggregate demand functions of a sample of 17 OECD countries for the period 1960-2005. This approach to modelling will enable UEDT’s to be observed for each of the countries, as well as the normal price and income elasticities. The model results will provide an indication of the extent to which price/income based instruments can be used to reduce the demand for energy, as well as indicating the extent to which consumers have responded to non-price/income instruments.OECD Aggregate energy demand; Asymmetry; Exogenous non-economic factors.

Modelling OECD Industrial Energy Demand: Asymmetric Price Responses and Energy – Saving Technical Change

The industrial sector embodies a multifaceted production process consequently modelling the ‘derived demand’ for energy is a complex issue; made all the more difficult by the need to capture the effect of technical progress of the capital stock. This paper is an exercise in econometric modelling of industrial energy demand using panel data for 15 OECD countries over the period 1962 – 2003 exploring the issue of energy-saving technical change and asymmetric price responses. Although difficult to determine precisely, it is tentatively concluded that the preferred specification for OECD industrial energy demand incorporates asymmetric price responses but not exogenous energysaving technical change.OECD Industrial energy demand; Asymmetry; Energy-saving technical change; Modelling

Preliminary Investigation of Some Serum Biochemical Parameters of Confined Nigerian Cattle Breeds in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria Fed with Some Conventional and Non-Conventional Feedstuffs

Unavailability of adequate livestock feeds is a long term constraint to the expansion of livestock industry in Nigeria. Cattle production needs high quantity feeds requirement but hampered by high cost and dwindling herbage in Nigeria.This preliminary investigation determined the combined effects of conventional {Elephant Grass (EG), Guinea Grass (GG), Cassava Peels (CP)} and non-conventional feeds {Banana Leaf (BL), Banana Stem (BS), and Wood Saw-dust (WS)} on the levels of cholesterol and some other biochemical parameters in fully-confined cattle breeds in Ibadan. Male (9) and female (14) cattle of different age groups were used. Feeds is a major limitation for rearing cattle in full-confinement in the area, hence the aim of this investigation is to assess important nutritive values and safety parameters of the alternative feeds to the cattle and consumers.Proximate analysis for each of the feeds was determined for %crude protein, % crude fibre, % crude fat, % ash, % dry matter and % moisture content. The serum biochemical parameters analyzed were cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose (mg/dl); total protein, albumin, globulin and creatinine (g/ml). All analysis were determined by standard methods. Results of proximate analysis showed the following feeds with highest values, crude-protein (EG 15.13+0.11%), crude-fibre (EG 29.8+1.56%), crude fat (EG 4.40+0.57%), ash (BB 12.15+0.21%), dry matter (BA 94.90+0.14%) and moisture (WM 7.83+0.25%). The following cattle breeds showed the highest serum biochemistry values, cholesterol (Bororo-female ¹, 253 mg/dl), triglycerides (Bororo-female ²,  5.4mg/dl), glucose (Gudali-male³, 224 mg/dl), total protein (Gudali-female7, 34.92 g/ml), albumin (Gudali-male2 and Bororo-female1,10.17 g/ml each), globulin (Gudali-male7, 32.38g/ml), albumin/globulin ratio (Gudali-male2 and Bororo-female 1, 0.84 each) and creatinine (Gudali-female6 and Cross Kugu-male1, 3.20g/ml each). The study concluded that the non-conventional feeds had high levels of crude proteins, crude fibre, dry matter, moisture  and the serum biochemistry values were within normal reference intervals. However, lower triglycerides and higher creatinine values were recorded, which indicated further tests on liver and kidney functions. No clinical signs of organs abnormality were manifested. Keywords: Conventional, alternative feedstuffs, Nigerian cattle, serum biochemistr

The Performance of Traditional contract procurement on Housing projects in Nigeria.

The traditional contract procurement has been widely criticized as an ineffective procurement method because it often involves time and cost overrun on construction projects. Yet the method is still being widely used in Nigeria most especially for the procurement of housing projects. It is suspected that this procurement method may not be ineffective in all cost categories of housing projects. Therefore time and cost performances of the procurement method on 57 housing projects of varying cost categories initiated by the Nigerian government between 1993 and 1999 were studied. The category of one to five million naira (US$1.00 ≈ 92 Nigerian Naira in 1999) showed the least time overrun of 18.98% while the highest time overrun of 99.64 % was shown in the five to ten million naira. The over ten million naira category had the least cost overrun of 9.13% while the highest cost overrun of 34.55 % was shown in the less than one million naira. The one to five million naira cost category exhibited weak correlation between time and cost overruns but the five million naira and above categories showed strong correlation. It was concluded that one to five million naira cost category is quite suitable for traditional contract procurement on housing projects in Nigeria

The Rhetorical Style of Climate Change Education in Greg Mbajiorgu's Wake Up Everyone

Climate change responses require a multidimensional approach given the context-specific knowledge of climate change education. Hence, this study investigates the rhetorical style of propagating climate change education in a non-formal setting – a typical agrarian Nigerian community – as enacted in Greg Mbajiorgu's play, Wake up Everyone. It adopts Olinger's (2016) socio-cultural approach to style to unpack nuances of social meanings which are negotiated in the process of enhancing the people's perception and learning of climate change issues in the symbolic rural environment. Four representative extracts which comprise three conversational exchanges among the characters, and the theme song of the environmental activist's Green Theatre outfit's play-within-a-play, The New Dawn, were purposively selected to reflect the following issues: improving education and awareness, building human and institutional capacity on climate change, devising adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce climate change impact, and giving early warning to forestall environmental disasters. The study reveals that the rhetorical strategies and semiotic resources in the dramatic text essentially localise and also demystify the complex science of climate change with the imaginative design of tactical non-formal adult education strategies to appeal to the environmental and cultural sensibilities of the extremely vulnerable local community

The Influence of Anatomy and Mode of Seasoning on the Strength Properties of Bamboo

Standardization of the application of bamboo as material of construction requires indepth knowledge of the geometrical and med -t1ical properties of the culm in relation to some physical parameters that affect structural performance of biological materials_ Literatures have concentrated mostly on the application of bamboo as reinforcement in low modulus concrete while treating many other factors affecting its structural performance as constant_ An investigation was therefore conducted to determine the influence of some parameters such as culm girth, moisture content and mode of seasoning on variations of strength along the length of bambusa vulgaris culm Analysis show that the girth of matured culm tapers linearly from the grow id level to the tip. The green moiswre content d(:;c: eased along the length of the culm while the density was relat,\.ely constant. Seasoning was found to increase the strength of bamboo and strength depended on the mode of seasoning. The average compressive stress wcs 44. 84Nimrrl for green specimen. 3 6 5Nimm2 for sundri(;d and 61.12Nimm2 for the ambient temperture dried The average flexural stress lvas 52.57Nimm2 for green samples, 35.17Nimm2 for oven-dried, 36.45/V mrt/ for ambtent temperature dried The modulus of elasticity was fairly constant along the length of each culm and ho: ers arow,d 2.5 x 10"1Nimm2 for green samples and 3_0 x IO_,N/mm2 for green samples and 3.0 xl0-IN1mm2 fo! cured·s--.mples. It 1-~·as concluded that the strength of dried bamboo depended on the mode of seasoning and the ambent temperature is the best mode of seasoning bamboo for improved strength