ASSESSMENT OF E-COMMERCE USAGE FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN NIGERIA BANKING SECTOR

This study assessed the extent of e-commerce usage for effective service delivery in Nigeria banking sector. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study covered 64 microfinance banks in Oyo State, South-West, Nigeria. The population was made up of 1275 staffs from the 64 microfinance banks. The sample size consisted of 28 microfinance banks of which 280 staffs were purposively selected. A 28-item structured questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Four experts carried out the face and content validity of the instrument. The reliability was determined using Cronbach’s Alpha statistic Reliability Coefficient and reliability coefficient of 0.86 was obtained. The arithmetic mean and standard deviation were used to analyze data, answer research questions and determine the homogeneity or otherwise of the respondents’ means while ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that microfinance banks in Oyo State have not use electronic payment cards as e-commerce delivery channels. They also use Internet marketing for product advertising and loan availability display; electronic fund transfer but have not been using it for online customers’ enlightment, online promotion of services and sending statements of account. It was recommended among other things, that management of microfinance banks should adopt most of the e-commerce delivery channel used by commercial banks in order to boost their standard of operation within the banking sector also, microfinance bank management should engage, encourage and sponsor their staff for re-training programmes to update their ICT knowledge, skills and competencies to effectively use the resources for quality customer service delivery.  Article visualizations

Management of anthracnose disease of cowpea with three plant leaf extracts for enhanced grain yield in Abeokuta, Nigeria

The antifungal activity of aqueous three plants leaf extracts were tested against anthracnose disease of cowpea caused by Collectotrichum lindemuthianum. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Extracts of Azadirachta indica, Acalypha wilkisiana and Carica papaya were sprayed on cowpea (Ife brown) foliage. A total of four foliar sprays were applied: three wee ks after planting, flowering stage, at the initial podding stage and at the full podding stage. Benlate served as positive controls while distilled water was negative control. Results showed the disease incidence and severity as 23.67-46.67% and 1.07-1.93, respectively. Combination of the extracts resulted in significantly (p≤0.05) low incidence of anthracnose (66.67% reduction) and improved the yield of cowpea by 1.63 tons/ha (77.25% increase) compared with untreated control plots. Azadirachta indica, Acalypha wilkisiana and Carica papaya extracts, singly or in combinations, reduced incidence and severity of anthracnose which translated to yield increase. Keywords: Anthracnose, botanicals, Collectotrichum lindemuthianum, cowpea, and managemen

Previous pregnancies among young women having an abortion in England and Wales

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to use national statistics on abortions carried out in England and Wales to more precisely estimate the proportion of young women aged under 20 obtaining an abortion who have had one or more previous pregnancies. Methods: Secondary analysis of abortion data from the Office of National Statistic and the Department of Health by parity for women under 20, ordinarily residing in England and Wales, from 1992 - 2013. Results: Over the last 20 years, the proportion of teenagers in England and Wales having an abortion as a result of a subsequent pregnancy increased by 33% (from 0.172 in 1992 to 0.229 in 2013). The majority of this increase occurred prior to 2004 and the proportion now appears to have stabilised. In 2013, 22.9% of the young women aged under 20 who underwent an abortion had had at least one previous pregnancy (either a birth or an abortion). Only a minority (less than 5% of teenagers who obtained an abortion) had had more than one previous pregnancy. Conclusions: The findings show that nearly one in four teenagers presenting for an abortion have already been in contact with health services for a previous birth or abortion. Greater policy emphasis must be placed on the accurate identification of the proportion of teenage pregnancies that occur as a result of a subsequent pregnancy and developing more effective 'secondary prevention' interventions to help first-time pregnant and parenting teenagers

Essential Oils of Dennettia Tripetala Bak. f. Stem Bark and Leaf – Constituents and Biological Activities:

The essential oil from the stem bark and leaves of Dennettia tripetala Bak. f. (Annonaceae) growing wild in Ondo State, Nigeria, has been characterized by combined gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC- MS) analyses. Overall, thirty-six components have been fully identified, thirty-two in the stem-bark oil, and only seven in the leaf oil. In both oils, 2-phenylnitroethane was the main component, ranging between 70 – 76% of the total oils. The profile of the stem bark oil was characterized by a large number of sesquiterpenes, whereas among the few components in the leaf oil, linalool reaches over 17%. When both oils were assayed for antimicrobial activity, only Staphylococcus aureus was susceptible to the stem-bark oil which was more active than leaf oil. For protective effects against UV radiation–induced peroxidation in phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes, stem-bark oil also showed greater effectiveness. Activity of the leaf oil against Trichomonas gallinae, was also remarkable

Impact of Computer Assisted Instruction (C.A.I.) on Academic Behaviour of Computer Science Students at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State, Nigeria.

The impact of computer assisted instruction (C.A.I.) on the academic performance of computer science students at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo was examined. The study investigated the post-test scores of both the control and experimental groups and the effect of pre-test scores on students taught using the traditional lecture method. Quasi-experimental study design was adopted; a pre-test and post-test were conducted for the sample groups. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 50 participants for the study. The instrument was administered twice, i.e., the pre-test and post-test. The pre-test was conducted on both the experimental and control groups, and both groups were presented with the post-test to ascertain the effectiveness of the C.A.I. The instrument’s reliability yielded a coefficient of 0.78 Cronbach alpha. Data were analysed using an independent t-test. Results demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference between the mean score (t = 1.20, df = 38, p > 0.05) of students taught using the conventional lecture method (control) and students exposed to C.A.I. (experimental). Based on the results, it was recommended that using C.A.I. for teaching and learning should be encouraged at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Nigeria

Indicators of quality education: empirical evidence from students, teachers and parents in Osun State

The study gathered empirical evidence of stakeholders' indicators of quality education in Osun State, Nigeria. The study deployed a mixed-method research design. The study examined indicators of quality education, identified by students, teachers, and parents in the state. The population comprised secondary school students, teachers, and parents in the selected state. The sample consisted of 400 students, 186 teachers, and 13 parents. Four Local Government Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected from the 30 LGAs in Osun State; five schools were selected from each LGAs using a convenience sampling technique, totaling 20 schools. Twenty students were selected by purposive sampling to include JSS 1 and 2 and SSS 1 and 2 classes from each of the schools selected. Ten teachers were sampled from each school, while 13 parents of students from the selected schools were reached through voluntary participation as indicated by students. Three instruments were developed for the study; two of which were quantitative (targeting students and teachers), and the third was qualitative (addressing parents). The first instrument was titled "Students' Indicators of Quality Education Checklist"; the second was "Teachers' Indicators of Quality Education Checklist," while the third instrument was named "Parents' Interview Guide on Indicators of Quality Education" The items on the checklists and interview guide were extracted from the literature. The construct validity of the checklists was established by subjecting the items generated to experts' scrutiny. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) of the instrument was 0.84. The reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.78. The results showed high correlations (r = 0.7, p > 0.05) between standard and students’ ratings. The study concluded that stakeholders' indicators of quality education were valid

Chemical Composition and Larvicidal Activities of the Himalayan Cedar, Cedrus deodara Essential Oil and Its Fractions Against the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xylostella

Plants and plant-derived materials play an extremely important role in pest management programs. Essential oil from wood chips of Himalayan Cedar, Cedrus deodara (Roxburgh) Don (Pinales: Pinaceae), was obtained by hydrodistillation and fractionated to pentane and acetonitrile from which himachalenes and atlantones enriched fractions were isolated. A total of forty compounds were identified from these fractions using GC and GC-MS analyses. Essential oils and fractions were evaluated for insecticidal activities against second instars of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae), using a leaf dip method. All samples showed promising larvicidal activity against larvae of P. xylostella. The pentane fraction was the most toxic with a LC50 value of 287 µg/ml. The himachalenes enriched fraction was more toxic (LC50 = 362 µg/ml) than the atlantones enriched fraction (LC50 = 365 µg/ml). LC50 of crude oil was 425 µg/ml and acetonitrile fraction was LC50 = 815 µg/ml. The major constituents, himachalenes and atlantones, likely accounted for the insecticidal action. Present bioassay results revealed the potential for essential oil and different constituents of C. deodara as botanical larvicides for their use in pest management

Injectable and Oral Contraceptive Use and Cancers of the Breast, Cervix, Ovary, and Endometrium in Black South African Women: Case–Control Study

A case-control study conducted in South Africa provides new estimates of the risk of specific cancers of the female reproductive system associated with use of injectable and oral contraceptives

Identification of mosquito repellent odours from Ocimum forskolei

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Native mosquito repellent plants have a good potential for integrated mosquito control in local settings. <it>Ocimum forskolei</it>, Lamiaceae, is used in Eritrea as a spatial mosquito repellent inside houses, either through crushing fresh plants or burning dry plants. We verified whether active repellent compounds could be identified using gas-chromatography coupled electroantennogram recordings (GC-EAD) with headspace extracts of crushed plants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>EAD active compounds included (R)-(-)-linalool, (S)-(+)-1-octen-3-ol, trans-caryophyllene, naphthalene, methyl salicylate, (R)-(-)-α-copaene, methyl cinnamate and (E)-ocimene. Of these compounds (R)-(-)-linalool, methyl cinnamate and methyl salicylate reduced landing of female <it>Aedes aegypti </it>on human skin-odor baited tubes. The latter two are novel mosquito repellent compounds.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The identification of mosquito repellent compounds contributes to deciphering the mechanisms underlying repulsion, supporting the rational design of novel repellents. The three mosquito repellent compounds identified in this study are structurally dissimilar, which may indicate involvement of different sensory neurons in repulsion. Repulsion may well be enhanced through combining different repellent plants (or their synthetic mimics), and can be a locally sustainable part in mosquito control efforts.</p