2023

This study was aimed at determining the role of adult education as an agent of social change for improved standard of living in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. Five research questions were raised and examined to enable the achievement of the objectives of the study. The research design for the study was the survey research design. The population of the study consisted of five hundred and seventy (570) adult learners while the sample size for the study included a total of one hundred and seventy (170) adults selected from the ten (10) communities in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. The collection of data for this study was obtained using a questionnaire titled “Role of Adult Education as an Agent of Social Change for Improved Standard of Living in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State Questionnaire.” The instrument was validated using the expert judgement approach while the test-retest approach was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The data collected for the study was analyzed using descriptive statistics comprising frequency count and simple percentage. Findings from the study revealed that the people of Egor Local Government actually do participate in adult education programmes, and that adult education has made the people’s societal disposition positive or better. It was also found that adult education has not made the community people politically active, though the community people are actively involved in community issues, and that adult education has moderately improved the people’s standard of living. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the people should be encouraged to continue their participation in adult education programmes. Efforts should be made to include or improve civic and political education in the programmes in the area so as to make them politically active, and strategies that can better the already improved standard of living should be encouraged.

The growing global demand for renewable energy has driven significant advancements in solar energy technology, particularly in photovoltaic (PV) systems and inverters, which convert solargenerated DC into usable AC. Despite progress, traditional inverters face challenges such as inefficiency, high harmonic distortion, and limited adaptability to dynamic environmental conditions.This project aims to design a microcontroller-based solar inverter that integrates
advanced control algorithms like Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) to enhance efficiency, reliability, and adaptability. By leveraging modern microcontroller technology, the project seeks to improve energy conversion, reduce costs, and address the limitations of conventional designs, contributing to the broader adoption of solar energy systems. The process begins with modeling the photovoltaic (PV) array using Simulink’s Simscape Electrical library, incorporating real-world parameters such as irradiance and temperature to simulate I-V and P-V curves. The MPPT algorithm, specifically the Perturb and Observe (P&O) method, is implemented to optimize power extraction under varying conditions. PWM is generated using a PID controller to regulate the DC-DC boost converter, which steps up the PV voltage. An H-Bridge inverter, controlled by Sinusoidal PWM (SPWM), converts the boosted DC into a clean AC waveform. The complete system integrates the PV array, MPPT, boost converter, and inverter, with simulations conducted to validate performance under diverse environmental and load conditions. This project successfully designed and simulated a microcontroller-based solar inverter system. The PV array, modeled under varying irradiance and temperature conditions, consistently generated around 5300W, operating near its maximum power point. The boost converter efficiently stepped up the PV voltage to 275.1V with over 90% efficiency, while the H-bridge inverter produced a clean 220V AC output with minimal harmonic distortion. System integration demonstrated robust performance under diverse environmental and load conditions, achieving an overall efficiency exceeding 90%.

This study was aimed at determining the role of adult education as an agent of social change for improved standard of living in Egor local government area of Edo state. Five research question were raised and examined to enable the achievement of the
objectives of the study. The research design for the study was the survey research design. The population of the study consisted of five hundred and seventy (570) adult learners while the sample size for the study include a total of one hundred and seventy (170) adults selected from the ten (10) communities in Egor local government area of Edo State. The collection of data for this study will be obtained using the questionnaire titled role of adult education as an agent of social change for improved standard of living in Egor local government area of Edo state questionnaire. The instrument was validated using the expert judgement approach while the test retest approach was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The data collected for the study will be analyzed using descriptive statistics comprising of frequency count and simple percentage. Finding from the study revealed that the people of Egor Local Government actually do participate in Adult education programmes, adult education has made the people’s societal disposition positive or better. It was also seen that adult education has not made the community people politically active, the community people are actively involved community issues and that adult education has moderately improved the people’s standard of living based on the findings, it was recommended among others that the people should be encouraged to continue in their participation of adult education programme. Efforts should be made to include or improve civic and political education in the list of programmes in the area so as to make the politically active and strategies that can better the already improved standard of living should be encouraged.

Narrative Devices are writers tools used in creating stories, events which may be fictional or non-fictional with the aim of teaching and revealing lessons of life and events which are the product of human actions and reactions. In doing this, writers employ various techniques like characterization, themes, tropes and schemes to laugh at and scorn human activities. Thus, it is in view of this The Beauty of Madness and Other Stories is discussed so as to show how the various narrative techniques is deployed in x-raying the themes of jealousy, love, betrayal, forgiveness and superstition in the narrative. Keywords: Narrative Devices, New formalism, tropes, themes, schemes

The proliferation of Urban Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is occurring due to the surging population, which has led to a demand for alternative crop cultivation methods. Consequently, there is a necessity to cultivate yams in containers as a means to enhance food security. Hence, a study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different combinations of garden soil and poultry manure potting media on the growth and yield of four cultivars of yam
(Dioscorea spp.). The study was carried out in containers (cement bags) in a field plot in Benin City, Nigeria. The treatments included: (i) garden soil alone (1:0), (ii) one part garden
soil and one part poultry manure (1:1), (iii) two parts garden soil and one part poultry manure (2:1), while four cultivars of yam including white yam (Ada Onitsha and Fakasa), water yam
and yellow yam were used. The experiment was a 3 × 4 factorial laid out as a Completely Randomized Design with three replicates. At nine weeks after planting, data was collected and recorded. At four months after planting harvest was done for only one cultivar (ada onitsha). The data collected was subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to test the significance of the treatment means using Genstat Statistical Package. The results indicated that there were no significant differences observed in the growth characteristics of the different potting media. However, significant cultivar differences were observed in number of vines, leaf area, number of leaves, stem girth, and petiole length. The potting media treatments showed significant differences in tuber length, tuber girth, and tuber yield per bag with 2:1 garden soil and poultry manure producing the highest tuber yield per bag(1.47kg) while (1:1) and (1:0) produced (0.50kg) and (0.47kg) respectively. Therefore, the combination of garden soil and poultry manure with a ratio of 2:1 would be suitable for cultivating yam in containers

This study explored the attitudes of female mass communication students toward journalism as a profession using the foundations of Social Categories Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior. The study was prompted by the fact that, despite the large number of female Mass Communication graduates produced each year, there is still a drop in the number of women in journalism practice today. As a result, it became critical to experimentally identify the attitude of female Mass Communication students in Nigeria toward journalistic practice as a job, as this impact could influence their career decision. An eight-item questionnaire was used in the survey design to collect data from 312 female students of mass communication who were chosen through purposive sample procedures to represent and reflect the perspectives of female mass communication students at the University of Benin. The data collected was presented and analyzed using frequency analysis and simple statistics. Female Mass Communication students were discovered to have a negative attitude about journalism as a job, which has impacted the amount of female journalists we have now. The study also found that they have a positive opinion of the career, but this does not reflect into their consideration of the career. Meanwhile, the declining proportion of women in journalism poses a challenge to the industry. As a result, it was established that journalism is critical to the survival and development of any society. As a result, it was suggested that employers make journalism more appealing and rewarding to women, as their position in the profession of journalism remains vital.

This research aims to examine the influence of the capital market on the economic growth in Nigeria. The establishment of the Capital market aims to attain specified objectives, including the mobilisation of financial resources on a national level and the acquisition of necessary foreign capital to accelerate economic growth. This study employs a time- series research design, utilising secondary data obtained from ww.worldbank.org [1990-2020]. The analysis is conducted using an auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The findings indicate that the capital market does not exert a favourable and statistically significant influence on the economic growth of the country. Additionally, it unveiled the constrained role of the market in fostering the growth of the industrial sector.

In our everyday life as humans, we carry out activities whereby we rely majorly on our vision. Vision is therefore important for an individual to have a good quality of life. This study was carried out to determine the effects of visual impairment (VI) on The quality of life of adult patients at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), also the quality of life in different
demographic variables was compared. It is a quantitative observational cross-sectional study that carried out on adult male and female patients above 18 years of age with visual acuity (VA) of less than 6 out of 12. The 150 sample size excluded subjects with mental illness. Demographics and quality of life data were collected through low vision quality-of-life questionnaire at UBTH from August to September 2023. From the 150 visually impaired patients that participated in this study, 85 males participated as compared to 65 females with a mean Age of 55.77 ± 12.73 for males and 57.33 ± 11.24 for females. 129(86%) patients were married while 21(14%) were unmarred. Eighteen 18% of the participants were diabetic, Eight 8% were hypertensive. Only three 3% of the participants were both diabetic and hypertensive. : Patients that were older than 60 years, uneducated, unmarried, and women were most likely to have a lower quality of life. In cases where chronic diseases are associated with higher rates of visual complications and poor quality of life the importance of eye examinations and effective rehabilitation services cannot be overemphasized.

This study investigated gender inequality and women employment opportunities in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The sample size was made up of 90 respondents. The data collected was analyzed using frequency count and simple percentage. The study revealed that societal norms, lack of access to education, lack of governmental support, gender stereotype and limited access to finance are the factors responsible for gender discrimination on employment opportunities for women in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. It was concluded that there is high level of gender inequality in employment opportunities among women in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. The study recommends that government should make concerted efforts towards ensuring women have access to credit loans which they could use to start up their own businesses. It was also recommended that the Senate and House of Representatives should consider the adoption of a bill that constitutes strategies to fight against discrimination in Nigeria.

In kernel density estimation, the choice of kernel plays a crucial role in accurately estimating the underlying probability density function. This project focuses on comparing three commonly used kernels: Gaussian, Epanechnikov, and Biweight. The objective is to plot a graph that visually demonstrates the differences between these kernels and evaluate their efficiency using the mean square error metric. First, the theoretical foundations of kernel density estimation are explored, emphasizing the importance of choosing an appropriate kernel. The Gaussian kernel, known for its smoothness and symmetry, is widely used due to its desirable properties. The Epanechnikov kernel, with its compact support and optimal bias-variance trade-off, is another popular choice. Lastly, the Biweight kernel, which balances robustness and efficiency, is considered. To compare these kernels, a graph is plotted to visualize their shapes and characteristics. This graphical representation allows for a clear understanding of how each kernel affects the density estimation. Additionally, the mean square error metric is employed to quantitatively assess the efficiency of each kernel. By calculating the squared differences between the estimated density and the true density, the mean square error provides a measure of accuracy. Through this analysis, valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each kernel can be gained. The graph and mean square error comparisons reveal how the choice of kernel impacts the estimated density function. This information can guide researchers and practitioners in selecting the most suitable kernel for their specific applications. Overall, this project contributes to a deeper understanding of the choice of kernel in kernel density estimation. By focusing on the Gaussian, Epanechnikov, and Biweight kernels, both their graphical representations and efficiency evaluations shed light on their performance in estimating probability density functions.