Women and the Upsurge of ‘‘Baby factories’’ in Southeastern Nigeria: Erosion of Cultural Values or Capitalism?

The erection and proliferation of baby factories constitute one of the major injustices directed at women especially teenage girls in southeastern Nigeria. Under this arrangement, women are incarcerated for the purpose of procreation alone. A litany of scholarly works has been written on this subject, placing the blame for this impunity, in Nigeria on the capitalist system. This paper insists that beyond capitalism, there is a need to interrogate the cultural erosion of values mostly responsible for this scourge. To achieve this, newspapers, interviews, archival materials and other extant secondary sources have been used for data collection, analysis and for the interpretation of results. The paper employs the qualitative method of analysis

The UEFA model in identification of types, severity and mechanism of injuries among professional footballers in the Nigerian Premier League

Background. Association football, otherwise known as soccer, is the most popular sport in the world. The increase in the popularity of the game and the expectations from players make injury risk in football high.Objective. To describe the types, severity, prevalence and mechanism of injuries among professional footballers in the Nigeria Premier League (NPL).Methods. The Union of European Football Association (UEFA) Injury Study Questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 240 footballers from 11 clubs, who participated in the 2011/2012 NPL premiership season, was selected through proportionate stratified random sampling technique, and the participants were studied using a prospective cohort study design for 6 months. Descriptive statistics of means, percentages and frequency distributions were used to answer the research questions.Results. The mean (standard deviation) age, height and weight of the injured footballers was 22.9 (3.4) years, 1.69 (0.05) m and 71.3 (3.9) kg, respectively. There was a high injury prevalence (78%) associated with actual league games, whereas the incidence rate per 1 000-hour exposure was 300.2 exposure-hours from 19 games within 6 months. Sprain (32%) was the predominant type of injury recorded. The tackle event (34%) was the predominant mechanism of injury recorded, and 63% of the injuries led to 1 - 3 days of player absence from football activities. Most of the injuries were recurrent injuries (63%).Conclusion. This study showed a high occurrence of injuries in the NPL, in particular associated with league (competitive) games. The findings of this study will serve to guide the development and implementation of injury prevention strategies in the NPL

In the Eye of a Storm: Governance of Emerging Technologies in UK Ports Post Brexit

As the UK looks to a future of changing relations with its trading partners there is a clear need to invest in its port infrastructure. As part of its strategic response the UK is looking to follow other countries, especially in the EU and Asia, in investing in developing smart ports which incorporate advanced digital technologies. However, the UK is faced with the challenge of resolving many decisions regarding where to invest, what to invest in, the consequence(s) of those decisions, and how to regulate a future sector that is increasingly becoming dependent on digital information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. Smart ports can bring benefits locally, nationally and globally from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, creating efficient supply chains, and secure and safer working environments. Yet, embedding emerging technologies, like the Internet of Things (IoT) into critical infrastructure like ports introduces new security risks and vulnerabilities that existing governance mechanisms are often unable to address. This paper firstly examines the growth in digitalisation of seaports drawing on initiatives in Rotterdam and Singapore. Potential security risks and vulnerabilities emerging are then discussed using some case studies before turning to review existing cybersecurity governance measures for ports. The lessons the UK can learn from smart port leaders like Rotterdam and Singapore as it looks to implement the innovation and digitalisation element of its new Maritime Strategy are then highlighted with recommendations on ways forward

The Effect of M-Commerce on Nigeria’s Economic Growth

This paper seeks to assess the implications of mobile commerce on the economy of Nigeria. Ordinary least square technique, correlation matrix test and Granger –causality test were employed to measure the extent to which the gross domestic product was influenced. The result showed that internet penetration and telecommunication contribution impacted positively on gross domestic product of Nigeria; mobile penetration had negative and statistically insignificant effect on gross domestic product; while mobile penetration aids m-commerce in Nigeria, it negatively affects Nigeria’s trade balance and economic growth due to huge imports of mobile phones. It is therefore recommended that government should encourage local production of mobile phones and where she lacks the technology to do so, encourage foreign direct investment inflow of foreign mobile phone producers in Nigeria. Keywords: economic growth; internet penetration; m-commerce (mobile commerce); mobile penetration

Artificial intelligence in cyber physical systems

This article conducts a literature review of current and future challenges in the use of artifcial intelligence (AI) in cyber physical systems. The literature review is focused on identifying a conceptual framework for increasing resilience with AI through automation supporting both, a technical and human level. The methodology applied resembled a literature review and taxonomic analysis of complex internet of things (IoT) interconnected and coupled cyber physical systems. There is an increased attention on propositions on models, infrastructures and frameworks of IoT in both academic and technical papers. These reports and publications frequently represent a juxtaposition of other related systems and technologies (e.g. Industrial Internet of Things, Cyber Physical Systems, Industry 4.0 etc.). We review academic and industry papers published between 2010 and 2020. The results determine a new hierarchical cascading conceptual framework for analysing the evolution of AI decision-making in cyber physical systems. We argue that such evolution is inevitable and autonomous because of the increased integration of connected devices (IoT) in cyber physical systems. To support this argument, taxonomic methodology is adapted and applied for transparency and justifcations of concepts selection decisions through building summary maps that are applied for designing the hierarchical cascading conceptual framework

Response of Broiler Birds to Varying Dietary Levels of Gongronema Latifolium Leaf Meal

The study was conducted to investigate the response of broiler birds to varying dietary levels of Gongronema latifolium leaf meal (GLLM) as an antibacterial, vitamin and mineral feed additive. A total of 120 fourteen days old broiler birds (Anak strain) were used for the study. Gongronema latifolium was harvested fresh, air dried for 5 days under shade and milled to powder before incorporation in feed at the rate of 0g, 25g, 37.5g, 50g, 62.5g and 75g per 25 kg of feed, respectively to form 6 dietary treatments (T1 – T6). Birds were allotted to one of the six dietary treatments in a completely randomized design (CRD) with two replications per treatment. Feed and water were given ad libitum to the birds during the experiment. Significant (P < 0.05) differences occurred among treatments in most of the traits studied. Broiler chicks fed 75g of GLLM per 25 kg of feed (3 g per kg) had significantly (P ? 0.05) higher final body weight (FBW) compared to the rest of the test groups but was similar to that of the control. Carcass weight, dressing percentage, weight of internal organs and relative organ weights differed significantly (P ? 0.05) among test groups. Effects on haematological indices were significant (P ? 0.05) but followed no definite trend except for WBC count which exhibited a dose related reduction in value (4800 x 103/mm3 at 0g/25kg or control to 3150 x 103/mm3 at 75g/25kg). It was concluded that up to 75g of GLLM can be incorporated per 25 kg of broiler starter and finisher diets (3 g/kg) as feed additive to enhance growth and well being.  Keywords: Anak broiler, feed additive, feed conversion ratio, Gongronema latifolium, growth performance, haematological indices

EFFECTS OF PROCESSED CASTOR OIL BEAN (RICINUS COMMUNIS L) MEAL AND SUPPLEMENTARY DL-METHIONINE ON NUTRIENT UTILIZATION BY BROILER CHICKS

ABSTRACT The effects of processed castor oil bean (Ricinus communis L) meal (CBM) and supplementary DL-methionine on nutrient retention, carcass and organ weights of broiler chicks were investigated for five weeks. Two hundred and sixteen 7-day old broiler chicks (Anak strain) were randomly divided into 12 treatment groups of 18 birds each in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement involving four processed CBM levels (0,10,15 and 20%) and three DL -methionine levels (0, 0.25 and 0.5%). During week 5 of the experiment, the apparent retention of the proximate components and the organs weights of birds were evaluated. Results showed that chicks on treatments 10-12 had lower (P<0.05) retention of DM, nitrogen, EE and NFE and lower (P<0.05) body weight, liver, kidney, spleen, heart and empty gizzard weights than birds on other treatments. Result showed that 10% and15% processed CBM can be included in the diet of broiler chicks without and with DL-methionine supplementation, respectively to enhance nutrient retention and for normal organ development of broiler chicks

Import of Research-Data Centre to Development of Banking and Finance Education in Nigeria

The importance of credible research data in conducting empirical studies in banking and finance is well established. Finance scholars face the challenge of finding and using reliable and credible data to provide empirical evidence to support investment and financial decision-making and to meet expectations for evidence-based finance practice. This paper discusses some of the benefits of establishing and operating specialised research-data centre for collection and storage of banking and finance data in Nigerian universities. The paper also emphasises the establishment of research centres with specialisation in specific areas in banking and/or finance as well as discusses the basic stages in establishing such centres

Super-forecasting the 'technological singularity' risks from artificial intelligence

This article investigates cybersecurity (and risk) in the context of ‘technological singularity’ from artificial intelligence. The investigation constructs multiple risk forecasts that are synthesised in a new framework for counteracting risks from artificial intelligence (AI) itself. In other words, the research in this article is not just concerned with securing a system, but also analysing how the system responds when (internal and external) failure(s) and compromise(s) occur. This is an important methodological principle because not all systems can be secured, and totally securing a system is not feasible. Thus, we need to construct algorithms that will enable systems to continue operating even when parts of the system have been compromised. Furthermore, the article forecasts emerging cyber-risks from the integration of AI in cybersecurity. Based on the forecasts, the article is concentrated on creating synergies between the existing literature, the data sources identified in the survey, and forecasts. The forecasts are used to increase the feasibility of the overall research and enable the development of novel methodologies that uses AI to defend from cyber risks. The methodology is focused on addressing the risk of AI attacks, as well as to forecast the value of AI in defence and in the prevention of AI rogue devices acting independently