2019

The study examined the joint impact of foreign capital flow and stock market performance on economic growth in sub Sahara Africa. Three (3) economies (Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa) were selected from among the 51 economies in the region, and
data spanning 22 years (1995-2017) were obtained and subjected to econometric analysis. The pooled mean group estimator (panel ARDL) was employed for data analysis, after preliminary diagnostics has been carried out to check for the time properties of the data set. Pooled results revealed that all foreign capital flow and stock market indicators were positive and significant drivers of growth in the long run, on the contrary short run result revealed that the stock market inhibited growth in the region. Country specific estimates produced mixed findings as some variant of capital flow was found to be positive while the other negative for the same country, for example FDI was found to enhance growth in Nigeria but hampers growth in Kenya and South Africa. On the other hand, while a significant positive short run relationship was found between FPI and growth in Nigeria
and South Africa, an inverse relationship between this variable was recorded in Kenya. Country specific result also revealed significant positive relationship between stock market and economic growth in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, although the
magnitude was found to be lesser in South Africa.

The demand for indoor cooling is on the increase especially in a tropical weather country like Nigeria. Air conditioning has been the most common cooling mechanism for providing indoor cooling for office buildings. However, the conventional air conditioners consume a lot of electricity and also make use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants which contribute to global warming. The solar absorption air conditioning system utilizes heat from solar radiation to drive an absorption system which produces the refrigerating effect. A lot of research work has been carried out to analyse and improve the system. The aim of this project work is to design a solar absorption air conditioner by determining the size and type of the required solar collector and the maximum coefficient of performance (COP) that can be achieved by varying the generator temperature. The solar collector area with an efficiency of 0.76 was calculated to be 2.375m2, for an optimum generator temperature of 950C. The COP at this generator temperature was calculated to be 0.736

The study was conducted to enumerate, identify the total airborne bacterial isolates from rooms in Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) male hostel, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State and determine the frequency of occurrence as well as antibiotic sensitivity profiles of these bacterial isolates. Materials and Methods: Samples were collected in duplicates and a total of 36 airborne samples were collected from six rooms. Using sedimentation technique, open Petri-dishes containing nutrient agar fortified with nystatin to inhibit fungal growth and enhance bacterial proliferation was applied to enumerate and isolate airborne bacterial isolates. Standard cultural, morphological and biochemical procedures were used to characterize the isolates. Antibiotics susceptibility profiles were determined using standard disk diffusion methods. Results: The total plate count for bacterial enumeration obtained from the sampling sites ranged from 8.1 x 10 -3 to 1.0 x 10 -3 and expressed in colony forming units (cfu). Result of cultural, biochemical and morphological test showed Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis according to Bergey’s manual of determinative bacteriology. The antibiotics resistant pattern of Staphylococcus aureus expressed resistance to Amoxicillin Clavulanate (AUG), Cefotaxime (CTX), Imipenem/Cilastatin (IMP), Ofloxacin (OFX), Nalidixic Acid (NA), Nitrofurantoin (NF), Nitrofurantoin (NF), Cefuroxime (CXM), Ceftriaxone Sulbactarm (CRO), Gentamycin (GN), Cefuroxime (CXM), Imipenem/Cilastatin (IMP), Levofloxacin (LBC), Cefexime (ZEM), Ampiclox (ACX) which was a higher number of antibiotics and sensitive on Ofloxacin (OFX), Azithromycin (AZN), Gentamycin (GN) and Erythromycin (ERY). Bacillus subtilis showed resistance to Amoxicillin Clavulanate (AUG), Cefotaxime (CTX), Imipenem/Cilastatin (IMP), Ofloxacin (OFX), Gentamycin (GN), Nalidixic Acid (NA), Nitrofurantoin (NF), Nitrofurantoin (NF), Cefuroxime (CXM), Ceftriaxone Sulbactarm (CRO), Gentamycin (GN), Azithromycin (AZN), Ofloxacin (OFX), Cefuroxime (CXM), Imipenem/Cilastatin(IMP), Levofloxacin (LBC), Cefexime (ZEM), Ampiclox (ACX) and Erythromycin (ERY). Significantly, the various air sampling sites of the rooms indicated the presence of bacteria with majority showing multiple antibiotics resistance. Conclusion: The assessment of indoor air quality is essential in determining bacterial air pollution. Bacterial isolates obtained can be used to estimate the health hazard posed and create standards for air quality for both the indoor environment. These bacterial isolates obtained from the sampling sites during this research calls for attention as they are of public health concern and suggesting risk of exposure of students to airborne bacterial contamination.

The study was conducted to investigate the possibility that growth-promoting rhizobacteria would enhance plant growth capacities of Amaranthus hybrisus and A. viridis in ferruginous ultisols, comparative to their humus counterparts; given the negative impact the former has on cultivation of the plant species. To achieve this, the setup was divided into two groups; the first comprised of 2 weeks old plants that were inoculated the test rhizobacteria – Pseudomonas putida, P. fluorescence and a combination of both in the ratio of 1:1, in both humus (HMS) and ferruginous red (FRS) soils. The second consisted of seeds of the test plants bioprimed with the bacteria in filtrates of HMS and FRS respectively. Growth responses were observed and measured. Plant species sown in the ferruginous red soils (FRS) did not survive beyond 45 days notwithstanding the kind of microbial inoculant. They also did not attain a plant height of 3cm and as such were not reasonable for harvest. For plants sown in humus soil (HMS), height ranged from 30.1 – 39.2 cm in A. hybridus (p=0.293) and 35.3 – 41.6 cm (p=0.072) in A. viridis, notwithstanding the rhizo-inoculant used. For A. hybridus, Leaf area was significantly higher in the inoculated plants sown in HMS. No significant changes in leaf area was reported for A. viridis irrespective of exposure to rhizoinoculation (11.5 – 17.5 cm2, p=223). No significant differences in number of leaves per plant, stem girth, and internode was reported in both species irrespective of treatment. Qualitative assessment of phytochemicals showed presence of saponins, phenolic, tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids in both species notwithstanding inoculation. The presence of glycosides in plants inoculated with P. pseudomonas was reported. Glycosides were absent in the control plants. Significant reduction in total phenols upon inoculation of plants with P. putida was also reported. Following the failure of FRS-exposed plants to subsist, in-vitro growth studies were conducted to compare seed growth response. Results showed that seeds sown in FRSfiltrates grew as better as those in HMS-filtrates. Germination percentage in the Pseudomonas- exposed seeds was better when seeds were primed for 24hthan ofr 3 h in both plant species

The concept of audit fee has received immense empirical investigation in the literature both in the developed and developing countries. However, these vast studies have not sufficiently explored the relation of the concept with tax aggressiveness and corporate governance. This study therefore sought to provide empirical evidence as to whether tax aggressiveness and corporate governance mechanisms are significantly associated with audit fee among listed firms in Nigeria. Leaning on the agency and stakeholder theories, the study examined the measures of tax aggressiveness of effective tax rate and cash tax rate as well as corporate governance mechanisms of board gender diversity, audit committee diligence, board independence and ownership concentration. The two measures of tax aggressiveness and audit fee were subsequently interacted with moderating corporate governance variable of ownership concentration, the essence of which was to assess ownership concentration and the relationship between tax aggressiveness and audit fee. A sample of one hundred and seven (107) firms from the entire firms quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at December, 2018 was utilised. Data were sourced solely from annual financial statements of the studied firms over a ten-year period (2009 to 2018). The panel regression technique, with preference for the random effect model
based on the outcome of the Hausman test, was employed to estimate the balanced panel data. The results of the study showed that cash tax rate, audit committee diligence and board independence all exert positive and significant effect on audit fees. Although not statistically significant, the results of this study showed that tax aggressiveness and corporate governance (ownership concentration) have a combined negative effect on the audit fees payable to external auditors by the listed firms in Nigeria. In the light of the findings, the study therefore recommended block ownership, instead of disperse share ownership, as it would give opportunity for effective monitoring of the activities of management. This would help reduce the tendency for opportunistic behaviour, such as tax aggressiveness. The study also recommended an increase in both board independence and frequency of audit committee’s meetings so as toenhance their oversight functions, and promote quality financial reporting and audit.

This study examines the relationship between total quality management practices and organizational performance. The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between top management, strategic planning, process management, customer focus, employee relation and organizational performance This study adopts a survey research instrument through the administration of questionnaires to two hundred and fifty-five (255) employees of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC), Benin City. The data for the study are analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and ordinary multiple regression. The multiple regressions results show that top management has a significant positive relationship with organizational performance at 1% level of significance, strategic planning has an insignificant negative relationship with organizational performance, process management has an insignificant positive relationship with organizational performance, customer focus has an insignificant negative relationship with organizational performance and employee relation has a significant positive relationship with organizational performance (OPF) at 1% level of significance. The study recommends that the presence of top management as component of total quality management practices would significantly enhanced organizational performance

The study examines the relationship between performance appraisal and organizational
productivity. The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between employee training
and development, employee compensation, organizational strength, organizational size and
organizational productivity. The study employs a quantitative and longitudinal research design in which secondary data are
collected from the quoted food and beverages companies in the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the
period of 2012 to 2017. Multiple regression technique, descriptive statistic and Pearson
correlation matrix are performed using EViews 8.0 econometric software. The findings show that employee training and development has a positive coefficient and
significant relationship with organizational productivity, employee compensation has a positive
coefficient and significant relationship with organizational productivity, organizational strength
has a negative coefficient and insignificant relationship with organizational productivity and
organizational size has a positive coefficient and insignificant relationship with organizational
productivity. The study concludes that performance appraisal is the procedures adopted by
management to evaluate the personality and the performance of the employee in organizations. The study recommends that management should engage in regular employee training for
improved organizational productivity

Aging men with low plasma Testosterone concentration could be at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD): a leading cause of one third of deaths worldwide. Dislipidaemia, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity are the major risk factors that cause CVD. Of these risk factors, dyslipidaemia which is described as elevated plasma concentration of lipids is the major risk factor and predictor of CVD. The major plasma lipids are Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL- C) and Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and they have all been incriminated as aetiological factors in cardiovascular diseases. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between plasma total testosterone and atherogenic lipid profile in predicting cardiovascular diseases of men in our study group. A total of 188 apparently healthy male subjects resident in Benin City, Nigeria, aged between 18 and 75 years, were selected for this study. The subjects were divided into three (3) groups - Group A (control); male participants aged 18 -39 years (n = 94), Group B (test); male participants aged 40 - 59 years (n = 47) and Group C (test); male participants aged 60 - 75 years (n = 47). Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast; TT was assayed using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique; fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipids (TG, TC, and HDL-C) were assayed using enzyme – based colorimetric methods. LDL-C, Body mass index (BMI), Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were calculated using appropriate formulae, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured using a sphygmomanometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software. TT levels were observed to be lower with increasing age and this was statistically significant, (P ˂ 0.001). The concentrations of Fasting Blood Glucose, lipids (TC, TG, and LDL-C), AIP and BMI were observed to be significantly higher with increasing age, respectively, (P ˂ 0.001). The values of SBP and DBP were also observed to be higher with age and these were significant statistically, (P ˂ 0.001). TT correlated negatively and significantly (P ˂ 0.05) with Age (r =- 0.626, P = 0.000), TC (r = - 0.250, P = 0.015), LDLC (r = - 0.247, P = 0.017), but it was observed to correlate positively and significantly with DBP, (r = 0.205, P = 0.047). AIP correlated positively and significantly with Age (r = 0.0261, p = 0.011), TC (r = 0.404, p = 0.000), TG (r = 0.816, p = 0.000), LDLC (r = 0.473, p = 0.000) but negatively and significantly with HDLC (r = - 0.492, p = 0.000).This study showed that TT is associated with atherogenic lipid; it may therefore be considered a risk factor and a predictive marker for men who are at risk for cardiovascular disease.

The extent of groundwater and soil pollution arising from an open dumpsite was carried out to examine the physico-chemical and trace metals status in Osubi, Delta State. Twenty two (22) soil samples were collected randomly at depths of 0-15 cm, and 15-30 cm and one control (natural environment). While sixteen (16) groundwater samples were collected through random sampling technique for analysis. The soil samples were digested into solution using aqua regia and analyzed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS), [buck model 210 VGP]. The results of the analysis was then subjected to statistical treatment (One-way Analysis of Variance), Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient and Pollution Load Index to ascertain significant difference among the trace metals, association and status of contamination/pollution respectively. Result from the analysis showed that both groundwater and soil samples in the study area is acidic with pH values ranging from 5.28-5.96, and 2.30-6.20 respectively. The level of average metal contents obtained from soil samples at the different depths is as follows: Arsenic; 10.58-20.4 mg/kg, Manganese; 1.42-3.58 mg/kg, cadmium; 1.05-3.46 mg/kg, Chromium; 1.61-4.55 mg/kg, Lead; 2.11-3.71 mg/kg, Zinc; 5.77-15.5 mg/kg, Copper; 1.69-3.23 mg/kg, Cyanide; 0-0.005 mg/kg, Nickel; 1.31-4.59 mg/kg and Vanadium; 1.24-0.3.95 mg/kg which were much higher than that of the control. The correlation result between the analyzed parameters in hand-dug wells and borehole samples, revealed positive and negative correlation coefficients at r(0.01) and r(0.05) indicating strong association between them, which probably reflects their related source of contamination. However, correlation was also not significant among some parameters in the groundwater samples indicating an uncommon source of contamination. Calculated pollution load index (PLI) indicated that location SS8 had maximum pollution load index of 2.15 and a minimum pollution load index value of 1.80 was obtained at location SS6. The order of pollution load index per location for the sediments is as follows: SS8 > SS5 > SS9 > (SS4=SS7=SS10) > SS2 > SS3 > SS6. While the order of contamination factor (CF) revealed among the heavy metals is as follows: Mn> V > Cr > Ni > Cd > Zn > As >Pb> Cu. The results revealed that both the groundwater and soil were slightly- moderately contaminated. It is hereby reco mended that groundwater monitoring and proactive steps be taken to minimize gradual accumulation of these contaminants from the dumpsite.

In this study, the potential of Ikpoba river dam being used as a multipurpose dam was evaluated. Before the evaluation, the flow regime behaviour of the river was modelled and predicted using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and artificial neural network (ANN) in MATLAB software. The river daily discharge, temperature and precipitation data sets from 1991 to 1995 were used for the prediction. In applying ANFIS using hybrid algorithm, five different models: model-1, model-2, model-3, model-4 and model-5 were created using 1995 data sets as the target outputs in all the five models. Only discharge data sets for 1994; 1994 and 1993; 1994, 1993 and 1992; 1994, 1993, 1992 and 19991 were used as the input data sets for model-1 to model-4 respectively. Model-5 was created by indexing monthly temperature and precipitation into model-4 to see the effect of climate change on the models. ANN was also applied to the same models as created with ANFIS. In ANN, three training algorithms; Levenberg-Marquardt (LM), Scaled Conjugate Gradient (SCG) and Bayesian Regularization (BR) were used. Five performance evaluation criteria namely coefficient of correlation (R), coefficient of determination (R2), mean square error (MSE), modelling efficiency (E) and index of agreement (IOA) were used for comparative analysis.The results of both ANFIS and ANN using the five performance evaluation criteria (R, R2, MSE, E and IOA) showed that model-5 (when the effect of climate change was incorporated) performed better than the other four models. The training phase in model-5 of ANFIS showed an over-estimation of 0.043% of the observed target output sets while an over-estimation of 0.044% was observed in the testing phase. The training phase in model-5 of ANN (LM) showed an over-estimation of 0.11% of the observed target output sets while an over-estimation of 0.14% was observed in the testing phase. The training phase in model-5 of ANN (SCG) showed an over-estimation of 0.21% of the observed target output sets while an over-estimation of 0.31% was observed in the testing phase. The training phase in model-5 of ANN (BR) showed an over-estimation of 0.17% of the observed target output sets while an over-estimation of 0.19% was observed in the testing phase. It was therefore concluded that ANFIS performed better than ANN in all the five models and that ANN (LM) performed best followed by ANN (BR) and ANN (SCG) in the ANN models. When the potential of Ikpoba dam being used as a multipurpose dam was evaluated, it was discovered that the dam with ultimate water pumping capacity of 160 x 106 liters/day could also be utilized to produce 5.26MW of power monthly (with discharge of 31.9m3/s) using a hydropower plant. The annual volume of water in the reservoir available for this hydropower scheme is 0.523 x 106m3