Coping with the Global Economic Crisis: A Challenge to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria

There is rapid transformation of the economics of the developed countries of the world-in the last two decades. This has resulted in global economic crisis affecting both the developing and underdeveloped countries of the world. The erratic changes have been creating new demands for more adaptable, multi-skilled and creative labour. To meet the demands, it has become necessary to reduce the gap between academic education and vocational education; to develop competence-based curriculum development mechanism; to strengthen the co-operation between education authorities, government/employment organizations as well as industries, to decentralize the delivery system and to involve employers more in the process of TVET. This paper is an attempt to x-ray the Nigerian situation in this time of Global Economic Crisis and the Challenge to TVET in Nigeria.Keywords: TVET, global economy, globalizatio

The Influence of pH on the Combustion Properties of Bio-Coal Following Hydrothermal Treatment of Swine Manure

The application of excessive amounts of manure to soil prompted interest in using alternative approaches for treating slurry. One promising technology is hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) which can recover nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen while simultaneously making a solid fuel. Processing manure under acidic conditions can facilitate nutrient recovery; however, very few studies considered the implications of operating at low pH on the combustion properties of the resulting bio-coal. In this work, swine manure was hydrothermally treated at temperatures ranging from 120 to 250 °C in either water alone or reagents including 0.1 M NaOH, 0.1 M H2SO4, and finally 0.1 M organic acid (CH3COOH and HCOOH). The influence of pH on the HTC process and the combustion properties of the resulting bio-coals was assessed. The results indicate that pH has a strong influence on ash chemistry, with decreasing pH resulting in an increased removal of ash. The reduction in mineral matter influences the volatile content of the bio-coal and its energy content. As the ash content in the final bio-coal reduces, the energy density increases. Treatment at 250 °C results in a more “coal like” bio-coal with fuel properties similar to that of lignite coal and a higher heating value (HHV) ranging between 21 and 23 MJ/kg depending on pH. Processing at low pH results in favourable ash chemistry in terms of slagging and fouling. Operating at low pH also appears to influence the level of dehydration during HTC. The level of dehydration increases with decreasing pH, although this effect is reduced at higher temperatures. At higher-temperature processing (250 °C), operating at lower pH increases the yield of bio-coal; however, at lower temperatures (below 200 °C), the reverse is true. The lower yields obtained below 200 °C in the presence of acid may be due to acid hydrolysis of carbohydrate in the manure, whereas, at the higher temperatures, it may be due to the acid promoting polymerisation

Effects of Team Teaching on Students Performance in Introductory Technology in Secondary Schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This pre-test post-test non randomized experimental study investigated the effects of team teaching on students’ performance in Introductory Technology. A total 316 Junior Secondary School Two students were randomly selected from four schools in Akwa Ibom State for the study. Data for the study was collected using Introductory Technology Achievement Test (ITAT) which was developed and validated by the researchers. The obtained data were analysed with t-test statistics for research results. Students taught Introductory Technology through team teaching approach performed significantly better than students taught by a single instructor. It was therefore recommended that every reasonable effort should be made to encourage teachers to adopt team teaching approach in the process of teaching Introductory Technolog

Cervical human papillomavirus infection and squamous intraepithelial lesions in rural Gambia, West Africa: viral sequence analysis and epidemiology

The development of effective strategies against cervical cancer in Africa requires accurate type specific data on human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence, including determination of DNA sequences in order to maximise local vaccine efficacy. We have investigated cervical HPV infection and squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) in an unselected cohort of 1061 women in a rural Gambian community. Squamous intraepithelial lesions was diagnosed using cytology and histology, HPV was typed by PCR-ELISA of DNA extracts, which were also DNA sequenced. The prevalence of cervical HPV infection was 13% and SIL were observed in 7% of subjects. Human papillomavirus-16 was most prevalent and most strongly associated with SIL. Also common were HPV-18, -33, -58 and, notably, -35. Human papillomavirus DNA sequencing revealed HPV-16 samples to be exclusively African type 1 (Af1). Subjects of the Wolof ethnic group had a lower prevalence of HPV infection while subjects aged 25–44 years had a higher prevalence of cervical precancer than older or younger subjects. This first report of HPV prevalence in an unselected, unscreened rural population confirms high rates of SIL and HPV infection in West Africa. This study has implications for the vaccination of Gambian and other African populations in the prevention of cervical cancer

Toward an Open-Access Global Database for Mapping, Control, and Surveillance of Neglected Tropical Diseases

There is growing interest in the scientific community, health ministries, and other organizations to control and eventually eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Control efforts require reliable maps of NTD distribution estimated from appropriate models and survey data on the number of infected people among those examined at a given location. This kind of data is often available in the literature as part of epidemiological studies. However, an open-access database compiling location-specific survey data does not yet exist. We address this problem through a systematic literature review, along with contacting ministries of health, and research institutions to obtain disease data, including details on diagnostic techniques, demographic characteristics of the surveyed individuals, and geographical coordinates. All data were entered into a database which is freely accessible via the Internet (http://www.gntd.org). In contrast to similar efforts of the Global Atlas of Helminth Infections (GAHI) project, the survey data are not only displayed in form of maps but all information can be browsed, based on different search criteria, and downloaded as Excel files for further analyses. At the beginning of 2011, the database included over 12,000 survey locations for schistosomiasis across Africa, and it is continuously updated to cover other NTDs globally

Instructional Variables and Students’ Acquisition of Employable Vocational Skills From Technical Colleges in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study focused on the impact of teacher quality, teaching methods, and access to training materials on students’ acquisition of employable skills in vocational technical subjects, for self employment in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Three questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study. The population of the study comprised 240 senior technical II students in the six technical colleges in the state. A random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size of 120 students for the study. A 28 - item structured questionnaire titled, Students’ Acquisition of Employable Skills Questionnaire (SAESQ) with a four-point rating response options were used for data collection. Mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Regressional analysis were used for data analysis. The results indicated significant relationships between teacher quality, teaching methods and students’ acquisition of employable skills. We recommend the provision of modern workshop equipment and employment of qualified and experienced teachers for effective teaching/training of students of vocational and technical education in Akwa Ibom State

A comparison of product yields and inorganic content in process streams following thermal hydrolysis and hydrothermal processing of microalgae, manure and digestate

Thermal hydrolysis and hydrothermal processing show promise for converting biomass into higher energy density fuels. Both approaches facilitate the extraction of inorganics into the aqueous product. This study compares the behaviour of microalgae, digestate, swine and chicken manure by thermal hydrolysis and hydrothermal processing at increasing process severity. Thermal hydrolysis was performed at 170°C, hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) was performed at 250°C, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was performed at 350°C and supercritical water gasification (SCWG) was performed at 500°C. The level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the product streams was measured for each feedstock. Nitrogen is present in the aqueous phase as organic-N and NH3-N. The proportion of organic-N is higher at lower temperatures. Extraction of phosphorus is linked to the presence of inorganics such as Ca, Mg and Fe in the feedstock. Microalgae and chicken manure release phosphorus more easily than other feedstocks

Geographical information systems (GIS) and risk maps of urinary schistosomiasis in Ogun State, Nigeria

Remotely-sensed environmental images and geographical information system (GIS) are used to develop risk maps of the probability occurrence of urinary schistosomiasis and population at risk in Ogun State, Nigeria. The model was developed using Arc View GIS 3.2a Software and incorporating infection, population, rainfall, vegetation, temperature, soil-types, altitude, and school locations data. The resulting risk maps created suggested that urinary schistosomiasis is widely distributed, occurring in all the local government areas in the state. The high-risk areas (&#8805 50% prevalence) were confined to foci in the north-western part of the state. The models correctly predicted both the presence and absence of infection, the probability risk at any locality in Ogun State, as well as estimating the population at risk. The model estimated that 98.99% of school-aged children in the state are living in urinary schistosomiasis-suitable areas and are at risk of infection. As such, necessary preventive measures should be incorporated into water resources, projects, which are known to promote urinary schistosomiasis transmission. This investigation provides for the first time, detailed and comprehensive maps of the distribution of urinary schistosomiasis in Ogun State, which would help guide control efforts. Keywords: GIS, risk maps, urinary schistosomiasis, school children, Ogun State.Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 29 (1) 2008 pp. 42-4