Determinants of Academic Success in Agricultural Science Subject among Senior Secondary School Students

The study examined determinants of academic success in Agricultural science among senior secondary school students in Oru L.G.A. of Imo State, Nigeria. Cross sectional data generated from 200 students drawn from 2 secondary schools randomly selected from the lists of secondary schools in Oru L.G.A of Imo State was used. Descriptive statistical tools such as percentages and frequency tables, as well as regression analysis were used in analyzing the data. Results of the analysis showed that likeness or interest in agricultural science subject by the students, occupation of the parents of the students, type of accommodation which symbolized environmental influence on the students, the level of teaching experience possessed by the teachers, level of class attendance by the students, togetherness of the parents and the educational level of the parents of these students were statistically significant determinants of academic success in agricultural science subject among senior secondary school 1 and 2 students in the State. It is therefore recommended that the Government should boost and sustain the interests of these students through the provision of the requisite instructional materials. The recruitment of qualified and well experienced teachers was also advocated in order to sustain the interests in agricultural science subject. Keywords: Success, Senior Secondary Students, Agricultural Scienc

Assessing market attractiveness for mergers and acquisitions: the M&A Attractiveness Index Score

This paper presents a new scoring methodology designed to measure a country's capability to attract and sustain business investment activity in the forms of cross-border inflow and domestic mergers and acquisitions (M&A). We compute a theoretically grounded Index of Attractiveness for M&A purposes based on groups of country development factors which have been identified as key drivers of corporate investment activity in economics, finance and management literature. By using the Index, which has been successfully tested against country-level M&A activity in a time series analysis, we show that the drivers of M&A activity differ significantly at different stages of country maturity. Specifically, for mature countries, the quality of their regulatory systems, political stability, socio-economic environment and the sophistication of their physical infrastructure as well as the availability of sizeable assets all determine differences in country-level M&A volume and value activity. For countries at the transitional stage, it is instead their economic and financial health, socio-economic environment, technological developments and the quality of their infrastructure and the availability of sizeable assets which drive M&A activity. We also prove the predictability power of the Index, by a set of Granger causality tests, showing not only how country-level development drives future M&A activity but also how, to some extent, the inverse relationship is also true, i.e. that M&A activity can contribute to country development

Politics of Succession in Nollywood Films, Saworoide and Ikoka

Employing the media representation theory, this article uses the historical-analytic, key informant interview (KII) and observation methods to interrogate the issue of politics of succession in Nigeria as portrayed in Saworoide (1999, dir. Tunde Kelani) and Ikoka (2004, dir. Peddie Okao). Apart from highlighting the kind of challenges which politics evokes in the country and the possible ways of remediating them in a contemporary context, the study argues that Nollywood filmmakers have good reasons for shying away from politics, as interesting as it may be; it creates discomfort for governments as well as for the filmmakers. The former on account of their allergy to the truth and the latter on the likelihood of their works being confiscated, banned or even risk to life. The conclusion reached is that filmmakers who engage politics in their creative works deserve encouragement because growing societies such as Nigeria, are in dire need of spokesmen and women, who as change agents, can engender positive and developmental agendas in their ecosystems

Foreign Direct Investment in Real Sector and Economic Growth in Nigeria, 1986 – 2011: A Parsimonious Error Correction Model

The paper represents part of larger research agenda aimed at investigating the impact of FDI on economic growth. The study which is a sectoral analysis examined the impact of agriculture, manufacturing, mining and telecommunication sectors on economic growth for the period 1980-2011. The econometric method includes co-integration test, over-parameterized and error correction model. Results reveal that in the long run agriculture and manufacturing have negative impact on growth while mining and telecom sectors exhibit positive influence on economic growth. In the short run, results show that FDI in agricultural sector has either negative or no impact on economic growth while impact of manufacturing on growth is completely negative. On the other hand, the impact of mining and telecom sectors on growth is positive in the short run. The study recommended among other things that effort should be intensified by all levels of government, public and private sectors to revise the ugly trend where foreign investors are not keen in investing in the agricultural sector and that enabling laws guiding priority area for foreign investors where agriculture is considered topmost should be put in place. Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, Economic Growth, Co-integration, Parsimonious Error Correction Model

Effect of Stray Currents on Underground Pipelines within the Niger Delta Region

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of stray currents on underground pipelines within the Niger Delta area. Two gas pipelines were selected for this experiment to investigate the presence of stray currents. The Stationary data logger and the Close Interval Potential Survey tool were used in measuring dynamic stray currents and static stray currents respectively. The sections on the pipelines for survey were selected based on their proximity to possible sources of stray currents. Three sections were surveyed for the first pipeline and two sections for the second pipeline. On survey of the pipelines, significant amount of stray current were detected, sufficient enough to cause corrosion on the pipelines. Furthermore, the effects of the stray current on the pipeline due to weight loss and errors in pipe to soil potential readings were determined. Finally, the sources of the stray currents were investigated and suitable control measures proffered in a bid to protecting the pipelines. Keywords: Niger Delta, corrosion, direct current, stray current, cathodic protection

Design and Fabrication of a Pedal Operated Power Generator

Energy conservation is a topical issue and this design proffered an efficient method of doing so. The design was originally conceived to meet the energy needs of those living in rural areas, due to poor access to electricity and also as a model for gym centers and cycle workout studios. Most persons living in these rural areas possess at least a cell phone but lack the means to charge them. This study focused on the design and fabrication of a pedal operated power generator, for the intents of burning fats while yet generating electricity. The power generator was designed to be simple, cheap, durable and easily maintained. It was fabricated using locally sourced materials and is intended to encourage local ingenuity and empower aspiring entrepreneurs especially in developing countries. Its purpose is to efficiently transfer human foot motion less than 60 rpm via a treadle and sprocket-chain step-up to drive a 24V DC permanent magnet generator. The inverter converts the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) which is needed to charge low voltage devices like mobile phones, laptops etc. Upon completion, it was found to produce a voltage of 15V and 2.5A at a speed of 483rpm generator speed. The overall efficiency of the system was about 66.6%. Keywords: Energy, pedal, generator, inverter, diod

Understanding the anticorrosion properties of chitosan grafted poly-aspartic acid against mild steel corrosion in 1 M HCl: Electrochemical and theoretical considerations

The mechanism of the anticorrosion effects of chitosan grafted with poly-aspartic acid (CTS-PAA) against mild steel in 1 M HCl has been provided using combined electrochemical and theoretical approaches. The successful grafting of chitosan (CTS) with poly-aspartic acid (PAA) was verified with intensive Furrier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).   In the studied system, a minimal corrosion inhibition efficiency of about 60 % was obtained with the unmodified CTS whereas CTS-PAA inhibition efficiency reaching a maximum number of 98.9 % at 250 ppm concentration was obtained. Polarization studies show that the inhibitors acted on both the anodic and cathodic currents curves indicating a mixed inhibition protection mechanism while the electrochemical impedance data show that the protection was afforded by interfacial adsorption of the inhibitor species on the steel surface. The adsorption process fitted to Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The proposed inhibition mechanism linked the enhanced inhibition performance of CTS-PAA to the extension of the adsorption sites by the grafting agents which was confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. The experimental data were correctly complemented with density functional theory (DFT)/molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) data and the binding energy of the modified polymer is over two magnitudes higher than the individual molecules affirming the experimental findings.

A Stochastic Frontier Production Function Approach to Technical Efficiency among Cassava Farmers in Rivers State, Nigeria

In this study the stochastic frontier production function approach was employed in the empirical analysis of technical efficiency among smallholder cassava farmers in Rivers State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was used in the data generation exercise. A total of 94 cassava farmers were randomly selected from ten out of the fifteen Upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria, for interview using structured questionnaire. The results showed that there was a significant positive and elastic relationship between output of cassava and farm sizes, family labour, cassava stem cuttings, and depreciated values of implements among cassava farmers in Rivers State. Production elasticity estimates showed that the farmers were experiencing increasing returns to scale (1.27). The significant determinants of technical inefficiency among these farmers include Age, household size and farming experience. The mean technical efficiency of the farms was 70%. This shows that there is still room for the farmers to increase their technical efficiency as they grow older in age. Furthermore, incentives on cassava farming such as subsidized inputs from the governments should be skewed in favor of the older and more experienced farmers