Proceedings of the Conference on Human and Economic Resources

Most developing nations have embarked on various reforms that foster the use of ICTs in their economies. These reforms tend to yield little or minimal benefits to economic growth and development, especially when compared with the developed countries of the world. Technological advancement is known to impact fast rate of economic development. In Nigeria, policy on adoption of Information and Communication Technologies was initiated in 1999, when the civilian regime came into power of government. The operations of the licensed telecommunication service providers in the country has created some well-felt macroeconomic effects in terms of job creation, faster delivery services, reduced transport costs, greater security and higher national output. This study intends to investigate the emerging roles of ICTs on Nigerian economy, and to evaluate the factors that influence the decisions of investors in the Nigerian telecommunications sector. Ordinary Least Square Method of Regression for the period 1999 – 2004, shall be employed. This period is considered appropriate in that, it was the time that policy on ICTs was adopted. The paucity of data prior to this time also poses restriction on meaningful econometric analysis. Significant and positive relationship between ICTs and economic growth is expected as it is portrayed in some economic literature. While telecommunication service providers receive commensurate profit on their investment efforts, the regulation from the government should ensure competitiveness. This strategy will increase the quality of the services offered, and possibly at cheaper price.developing countries, Nigerian economy, information technology, communication technology

Quantitative characterisation of an engineering write-up using random walk analysis

This contribution reports on the investigation of correlation properties in an English scientific text (engineering write-up) by means of a random walk. Though the idea to use a random walk to characterise correlations is not new (it was used e.g. in the genome analysis and in the analysis of texts), a random walk approach to the analysis of an English scientific text is still far from being exploited in its full strength as demonstrated in this paper. A method of high-dimensional embedding is proposed. Case examples were drawn arbitrarily from four engineering write-ups (Ph.D. synopsis) of three engineering departments in the Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Thirteen additional analyses of non-engineering English texts were made and the results compared to the engineering English texts. Thus, a total of seventeen write-ups of eight Faculties and sixteen Departments of the University of Ibadan were considered. The characterising exponents which relate the average distance of random walkers away from a known starting position to the elapsed time steps were estimated for the seventeen cases according to the power law and in three different dimensional spaces. The average characteristic exponent obtained for the seventeen cases and over three different dimensional spaces studied was 1.42 to 2-decimal with a minimum and a maximum coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9495 and 0.9994 respectively. This is found to be 284% of the average characterising exponent value (0.5), as supported by the literature for random walkers based on the pseudo-random number generator. The average characteristic exponent obtained for the four cases that were engineering-based and over the three different dimensional studied spaces was 1.41 to 2-decimal (closer by 99.3% to 1.42) with a minimum and a maximum coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9507 and 0.9974 respectively. This is found to be 282% of the average characterising exponent value (0.5), as supported by the literature for random walkers based on the pseudo-random number generator. In view of the range of the average characterising exponent across Faculties and the closeness of the average characterising exponent in the engineering-based cases in particular, it can be concluded that the engineering writing is strongly correlated. This study recommends that a very high characterising exponent value (e.g 1.42) is a mark of a very good engineering write-up

Codelivery of Genistein and miRNA-29b to A549 Cells Using Aptamer-Hybrid Nanoparticle Bioconjugates.

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of a combination therapy of miRNA-29b and genistein loaded in mucin-1 (MUC 1)-aptamer functionalized hybrid nanoparticles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cell line. Genistein-miRNA-29b-loaded hybrid nanoparticles (GMLHN) was prepared and characterized. Particle size and zeta potential were measured using photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). Encapsulation efficiency and loading efficiency were determined using HPLC. Preferential internalization of MUC 1-aptamer functionalized GMLHN by A549 cells was evaluated and compared to normal MRC-5 cells. The ability of GMLHN to downregulate targeted oncoproteins Phosphorylated protein kinase, strain AK, Thymoma (Phosphorylated protein kinase B) (pAKT), Phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (p-PI3K), DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 3 beta (DNMT3B) and Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 (MCL 1) was evaluated using western blot, while antiproliferative effect and ability to initiate apoptosis was also assessed in A549 cells. MUC 1-aptamer functionalized GMLHN nanoparticles were prepared. These nanoparticles were preferentially internalized by A549 cells but less so, in MRC-5 cells. pAKT, p-PI3K, DNMT3B and MCL 1 were efficiently downregulated by these nanoparticles without affecting the levels of AKT and PI3K in A549 cells. GMLHN demonstrated a superior antiproliferative effect compared to individual genistein and miRNA-29b-loaded nanoparticles. Results generated were able to demonstrate that genistein-miRNA-29b-loaded hybrid nanoparticles (GMLHN) could be a potential treatment modality for NSCLC because of the ability of the payloads to attack multiple targets

Radioactive method enables determination of surface areas rapidly and accurately

Radioactive krypton adsorption technique is used to determine the surface area of more than one sample of material simultaneously

A multi-criteria model for maintenance job scheduling

This paper presents a multi-criteria maintenance job scheduling model, which is formulated using a weighted multi-criteria integer linear programming maintenance scheduling framework. Three criteria, which have direct relationship with the primary objectives of a typical production setting, were used. These criteria are namely minimization of equipment idle time, manpower idle time and lateness of job with unit parity. The mathematical model constrained by available equipment, manpower and job available time within planning horizon was tested with a 10-job, 8-hour time horizon problem with declared equipment and manpower available as against the required. The results, analysis and illustrations justify multi-criteria consideration. Thus, maintenance managers are equipped with a tool for adequate decision making that guides against error in the accumulated data which may lead to wrong decision making. The idea presented is new since it provides an approach that has not been documented previously in the literature

Hazard Perception and Demand for Insurance Among Selected Motorcyclists in Lagos, Nigeria

This study examines hazard perception effects on the demand for insurance withspecial focus on motorcycle riders in Lagos state. For this purpose, the researchershave been able to examine selected hazard perception determinants and theireffects on the insuring attitude and desire of motorcycle riders. An explanatoryresearch design was employed and a convenience sampling type of the nonprobabilitysampling technique was adopted.  Data was gathered by interviewsconducted at motorcycle parks along the Lagos-Badagry expressway.  The sampleconsisted of 126 respondents made up of commercial motorcycle riders within thesample areas. Data collected was analysed using multiple regression technique.The study was able to establish some level of contributory linkage between hazardperception and demand for motorcycle insurance. The findings show that whiledread and trust both appeared to have significant effect, publicity and controllabilityboth have positive contributory effect; furthermore, choice expressed an inverserelationship with demand for insurance among the motorcycle riders. The studytherefore recommends pre-loss and post-loss measures among the motorcycleriders so that unforeseen motorcycle risks can be managed. Also, insurancecompanies should endeavour to invest more on enlightening the motorcycle riders in order to lessen their dread of loss outcome, and thus, design policy that can instil trust in motorcycle riders in insurance as a loss control measure

Influence of firm related factors and industrial policy regime on technology based capacity utilization in sugar industry in Nigeria

The study analyzed the technology based capacity utilization rate in sugar industry in Nigeria in the period 1970 to 2010. Data used in the study were obtained from the sugar firms, publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria and National Bureau of Statistics. Augmented Dicker Fuller unit root test was conducted on the specified data to ascertain their stationarity and order of integration. The result reveals that some variables were stationary at level while some were stationary at first difference. The diagnostic statistics from the multiple log linear regression on the specified variables confirmed the reliability of the model. The empirical result reveals that sugar cane price and sugar industry’s real energy consumption have significant negative relationship with the technology based capacity utilization in the sugar industry in Nigeria. On the other hand, the wage rate of skill workers, industry’s, real research expenditure, human capital and period of import substitution have significant positive influenced on the technology based capacity utilization rate in the industry. Our findings suggest that policy measures aim at expanding the hectares of industrial sugarcane and increase production of refined petroleum fuel in the country will promote capacity utilization in the industry. Also policies targeted on the intensification of research and improved worker’s remuneration in the sub-sector is strongly advocated.Sugar, firm, capacity, utilization, industry, technology, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, GA, IN,