Empirical Analysis of External Debt Exposure to Exchange Rate Risk in Nigeria

The study investigates external debt exposure to exchange rate risk in Nigeria. The Secondary data used were sourced from World Bank Development Indicators for all the variables from the period 1981 to 2019. By employing the Augmented Dickey-Fuller Unit root test and OLS estimation technique, the study found that external debt service payment (EXTDSP), total payment on external debt (TPEXTD), and trade openness (TROP) is significant. While External debt service payment (EXTDSP) and trade openness (TROP) is negatively impacting the exchange rate (EXCHR). TPEXTD has a positive significant impact on EXCHR at a 5% level of significance. The rest of the explanatory variables: external debt stock (EXTDS), gross domestic product growth rate (GDPGR), and real interest rate (RINTR) are all positive and insignificant at all levels of significance. The study, therefore, recommends that the government should go for concessional loans which has low-interest rate and are long-term in nature and as well encourage international trade with other countries of the world

Effects of Indole-3-Acetic Acid on Germination in Lead Polluted Petri Dish of Citrullus Lanatus (Thunberg) Matsumura and Nakai, Cucurbitaceae

Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunberg) Matsumura and Nakai is a tropical fruit vegetable. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a popular phytohormone while lead (Pb) is a common environmental pollutant in urban and sub-urban centers. C. lanatus were obtained from Benin City with a view to study the effects of IAA on their germination in Pb polluted environment. Germination percentage without IAA and Pb treatment in petri dish was significant after ten days. Hastened germination was observed when IAA and lead were used. About 100 % germination was recorded after seven days. This suggests that water melon seeds can initiate growth even in lead polluted environment. Optimum level of 5 ppm IAA with the different levels of lead treatments may be recommended. Most important was that higher concentrations of Pb in the control (without IAA) did not inhibit seedling shoot nor root growth. Longest seedling shoot length (cm) was 10.33 ± 1.24 and 12.13 ± 2.06 on the seventh and eighth day respectively with the combined treatment levels of 1 ppm IAA and 15 ppm Pb. On the ninth day, 15.27 ± 0.96 was obtained from 1 ppm IAA and 20 ppm Pb. Longest seedling root length (cm) values were recorded from the combined treatment levels of 0 ppm IAA and 10 ppm Pb for the seventh (9.10 ± 0.47) and ninth (10.37 ± 1.81) day respectively and 0 ppm and 15 ppm Pb on the eighth (9.37 ± 0.84) day. Significant means were also obtained with the treatment level of 0 and 20 ppm IAA. This present study suggest the germination of C. lanatus under Pb polluted environment may be rescued with optimum IAA

Evaluation of the Quality of Hand Moulded Sandcrete Block in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

The durability of a building is to a great extent determined by the quality of materials used of which sandcrete block is one of the materials. This paper looks into the quality of blocks produced by block industries in Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria to ascertain its water absorption ratio and compressive strength. A Total of fifteen block industries were visited and five samples from each were collected and subjected to laboratory test. The analysis of results obtained was compared with the Nigerian industrial standard (NIS). The absorption rate of the sandcrete blocks was found to be higher than the 12% minimum requirement of the NIS; 2007. The compressive strength values of the sandcrete blocks ranges from 0.81N/mm2 and 1.25N/mm2 which when compared with NIS, was found to be below the minimum requirement of the NIS; 2007.  Inadequate mix ratio was observed to be one of the factors of poor quality sandcrete block production in the area. This paper recommends for compliance monitoring by the various regulatory body to ensure good quality of sandcrete block production

The structure and properties of magnetron sputtered Fe-Cr-Ni coatings containing sigma phase

Fe-Cr-Ni alloy coatings were codeposited onto AISI 316L substrates using unbalanced magnetron sputtering. These were: (i) type B1, Fe-40Cr-4.5Ni; (ii) type B2, Fe-38Cr-8Ni; and (iii) type B3, Fe-55Cr-2.5Ni. In the as-deposited state, the B1 and B3 coatings mainly comprised solid solution a–Fe(Cr) and a0 -Cr(Fe) phases, were fully dense, and had a microhardness of 700 kg mm2, while coating B2 entirely comprised FeCrNi s-phase, contained micro- or nanometre-scale porosity, and had a hardness of 370 kg mm2. Despite being less hard, the as-deposited B2 coating displayed resistance to brittle fracture during scratch testing—this phenomenon was attributed to micropore toughening. When coating types B1 and B3 were partially or completely transformed to s-phase (by vacuum heat treatment) brittle fracture took place during scratch testing.peer-reviewe

Enhancing security and dependability of industrial networks with opinion dynamics

Opinion Dynamics poses a novel technique to accurately locate the patterns of an advanced attack against an industrial infrastructure, compared to traditional intrusion detection systems. This distributed solution provides pro table information to identify the most a ected areas within the network, which can be leveraged to design and deploy tailored response mechanisms that ensure the continuity of the service. In this work, we base on this multi-agent collaborative approach to propose a response technique that permits the secure delivery of messages across the network. For such goal, our contribution is twofold: rstly, we rede ne the existing algorithm to assess not only the compromise of nodes, but also the security and quality of service of communication links; secondly, we develop a routing protocol that prioritizes the secure paths throughout the topology considering the information obtained from the detection system.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Effects of monosodium-L-glutamate administration on serum levels of reproductive hormones and cholesterol, epididymal sperm reserves and testicular histomorphology of male albino rats

This study investigated the effects of administration of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) on serum gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinising hormone (LH), testosterone and total cholesterol (TC), cauda epididymal sperm reserves (CESR) and testicular histomorphology of adult male albino rats. Eighty-four rats, randomly assigned to 7 groups of 12 rats each, were used for the study. Varying low doses (0.25, 0.50 or 1.00 g/kg body weight) of MSG were administered orally or subcutaneously at 48-h intervals for six weeks. Serum GnRH, LH, testosterone and TC, and CESR were evaluated on days 14, 28 and 42 of MSG administration. Testicular histomorphology was evaluated on day 42. The results showed that the mean serum GnRH, LH and testosterone levels, and the CESR of all the treated groups were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of the untreated control on days 14, 28 and 42 of MSG administration. The mean serum TC levels of all the treated groups were also significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of the control group on days 14 and 28. No lesions were observed on sections of the testes. It was concluded that MSG administration for 14, 28 and 42 days led to significantly lower serum levels of GnRH, LH, testosterone and TC, and significantly lower CESR